LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


911  .'627 
B19h 
cop.  2 


111. Hist. Survey 


-.■„>«•* 

t  ?^' 


^^ 


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HISTORY 


OF 


LA  SALLE  COUNTY 


ILLINOIS. 


ITS  TOPOGRAPHY,  GEOLOGY,  BOTANY,  NATURAL  HISTORY,  HISTORY 

OF    THE    MOUND    BUILDERS,   INDIAN   TRIBES, 

FRENCH  EXPLORATIONS, 


AND 

A  SiGlcl  of  tlie  Pioieer  Settlers  of  eacli  Ton  lo  1840, 


WITH 


AN   APPENDIX, 

GIVING  THE    PRESENT    STATUS   OE  THE   COUNTY,  ITS    POPULATION, 
RESOURCES,  MANUFACTURES  AND  INSTITUTIONS, 


BY 


ELMER  BALDWIN. 


CHICAGO: 
Rand,  McNally  &  Co.,  Pkintbbs,  77  and  79  Madison  Street. 

1877. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1877,  by 

EC-MEU  BALDWIN, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


? 


PREFACE 


The  volume  here  given  to  the  public  is  the  out- 
growth of  a  long  cherished  feeling  of  the  citizens  of 
La  Salle  County,  often  publicly  expressed,  that 
the  memories  of  the  pioneer  settlers  should  be  pre- 
served. That  the  circumstances  which  surrounded 
those  who  reclaimed  the  wildness  of  uncultivated 
nature,  who  converted  an  unproductive  waste  into 
fruitful  fields,  and  the  rude  theatre  of  savage  life 
to  the  fit  abode  of  Christian  civilization,  and  the  seat 
of  thousands  of  happy  homes,  should  be  truthfully 
portrayed  and  handed  down  for  the  contemplation 
of  posterity. 

To  do  this,  after  a  lapse  of  half  a  century  from  the 
time  the  rude  and  simple  red  men  retired  from  the 
scene,  and  the  incoming  race  commenced  the  hercu- 
lean task  they  have  so  well  performed,  is  beset  with 
difficulties  that  one  inexperienced  can  not  appreciate. 


iv  Preface. 

The   early  pioneers   have  mostly  passed  away. 
Twenty  years  ago  many  could  have  told  the  tale  of 
their  toils,  whose  lips  are  now  forever  sealed,  and  tra- 
dition alone  hands  down  to  us  the  story  of  their 
experiences. 

Human  memory  is  treacherous,  and  forty  revolv- 
ing years  dim  and  clothe  with  uncertainty  the  his- 
tory told  by  the  third  generation.  A  few  of  the  old 
pioneers  remain,  and  to  them  the  author  has  ap- 
pealed for  the  facts,  and  to  them  he  has  submitted 
the  statements  herein  contained  for  correction  ;  and 
while  he  can  not  flatter  himself  that  no  errors  have 
crept  in,  but  is  of  the  opinion  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  exclude  them  ;  yet  that  the  work  is  substan- 
tially correct  he  verily  believes,  having  spared  no 
effort  to  make  it  so.  The  work  was  undertaken  at 
the  solicitation  of  the  Old  Settlers'  Association,  and 
rather  as  a  labor  of  love  than  with  the  idea  of  pecu- 
niary profit. 

Articles  upon  Geology  by  W.  W.  Calkins,  and 
upon  the  Botany  of  the  County  by  E.  Williams, 
are  inserted.  As  these  gentlemen  have  made  these 
subjects  a  favorite  study  for  years,  and  are  old  resi- 
dents of  the  county,  it  was  deemed  appropriate 
that  they  should  appear  in  their  favorite  roles. 

The  seeming  repetition  of  facts  in  the  two  geolog- 
ical articles — the   scientific  and   economic — are    no 


Preface.  v 

more  than  was  required   to  show  the  value  of  the 
material  found  in  the  several  strata. 

The  pioneer  history  of  the  towns  has  been  arranged 
chronologically  rather  than  alphabetically.  The 
incongruity  of  introducing  the  history  of  the  town 
of  Allen,  one  of  tlie  last  towns  settled,  in  ad- 
vance of  all  the  old  settled  towns,  will  be  apparent 
to  all  ;  and  the  inconvenience  of  finding  a  town  by 
the  index  will  be  much  less  than  that  of  reading 
history  backwards. 

The  same  course  has  been  pursued  in  relation  to 
the  insertion  of  the  names  of  the  settlers  of  a  town. 
The  aim  has  been  to  enter  the  names  in  order, 
according  to  priority  of  settlement.  The  modern 
system  of  selling  panegyrics,  which  pervades  not 
only  the  periodical  press,  but  nearly  all  the  literature 
of  the  day,  has  been  wholly  ignored.  When  a  more 
lengthy  biograpliy  has  been  given,  or  a  narrative  of 
personal  experience  more  full  than  elsewhere,  it  has 
been  to  throw  light  on  the  usages  and  experiences 
of  the  times,  and  the  one  given  is  designed  as  a 
truthful  representation  of  all.  While  that  fulsome 
flattery  that  is  bought  and  sold  like  cabbages  in  the 
market  has  been  avoided,  words  that  would  wound 
the  sensibilities  of  the  living,  or  those  of  the  friends 
of  the  dead,  have  been  as  carefully  shunned.  The 
simple  leading  facts  of  a  person's  life,  with  official 


vi  Preface. 

position,  is  all  that  has  been  attempted,  while  none 
are  so  humble  as  to  escape  notice ;  and  if  its  read- 
ing shall  beguile  the  lonely  hours  of  the  departing 
pioneer,  by  recalling  those  scenes  over  which  he 
loves  to  linger,  or  shall  excite  the  emulation  of 
succeeding  generations  to  practice  the  frugal  virtues 
of  those  we  commemorate,  the  author  will  feel  that 
his  labor  has  not  been  in  vain. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Topography 9 

Economifi  Geology. ---  25 

Mound  Builders 34 

French  Explorations  and  Set- 
tlements -.. -  49 

Indian  History 57 

Illinois 58 

Pottawatomies  .- -  68 

Sacs  and  Foxes 04 

Winnebagoes -  -  6(; 

Kickapoos    68 

Legend  of  Starved  Rock-.  70 

Early  Explorations 73 

Kennedy  in   Search   of   a 

Copper  Mine -.  73 

American  Fur  Company.-  74 

Hodgson's  Narrative 76 

First  Settlement  of  Couuiy-.  80 

Winnebago  War 80 

Gurdon   Hubbard's  Narra- 
tive   82 

Organization    of    La    Salle 

County 85 

Black  Hawk  War,  1831  ....  88 

Black  Hawk  War,  1832 89 

Forces    organized     under 

Gen'l  Whiteside... 90 

Stillman's  Defeat 91 

Forces  discharged  at   Ot- 
tawa  91 

Col.  Fry  raises  a  Regiment 

from  the  discharged  Men  93 
New  recruits    rendezvous 

at  Fort  Wilburn 92 

Battle  of  Bad  Axe 98 

Black  Hawk  taken  Prisoner  93 
Gen'l  Scott  and  the  Regu- 
lars   94 

Massacre  at  Indian  Creek  . .  94 

Statement  of  J.  W.  Hall .  95 
Statement    of    the  Misses 

Hall 98 


Page 
Killing    of     Schermerhorn 

and  Hazleton 106 

Killing     of     Payne     and 

Baresford 108 

Situation  at  the  Close  of  the 

War 109 

Shabona 110 

Hickley's  Statement 115 

Indian  Character    and  Cus- 
toms  -. 116 

Personal  Narratives _  119 

Narrative  by  the  Author..  121 

Mrs.  Walbridge's  Statem'nt  125 

Mrs.  Parr's  Statement 127 

Thos.  Parr's  Statement...  128 
Claims  and    First    Improve- 
ments  129 

Morality  of  Claims 132 

Squatter  Sovereignty 133 

Building  a  Log  Cabin 134 

One  Post  Bedstead 135 

Breaking  Prairie  - 136 

Lost  on  the  Prairie 140 

Mirage ..-  142 

Crossing  a  Prairie  in   the 

Night 143 

Prairie  Fires. 145 

Protection  from  Fire 146 

How  to  Combat  a  Fire 147 

Amusements .--  151 

Sickness 155 

Hard  Winter  of  1888 160 

Nativity  of  First  Settlers...  161 
Diversity   of   Customs,  Pro- 
vincialisms, etc 165 

Prairie  Grasses... 171 

Hard  Times 173 

Embarrassment  of  the  State.  181 

Depreciated  Currency 183 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  187 

Bandits  of  the  Prairie 192 

Irish  Rebellion 199 


Vlll 


Coideiits. 


Page 

Criminal  Record - 200 

La  Salle  and  Dixon  Railroad  203 
Recovering  from  Hard  Times  205 
Frink  and   Walker  Line  of 

Stages.-- 206 

Mexican  War 207 

Division  of  the  County 207 

New  Cons' itution  and    Two 

Mill  Tax 208 

First  Court  House  and  Jail.  209 
Present  Court  House  / 209] 


Page 
Illinois    Central    and   Other 

Railroads 210 

Amount  Paid  to  the  State  --  210 

County  Officers  : 
County  Commissioners  ---  215 

Other  County  Officers 216 

County  Court 217 

Circuit  Court _  218 

State  Senators.  ., 221 

Representatives 221 


Biographical  Sketch  of  Settlers  of  each   I'own. 


Adams.- 4o4 

Allen  --- 475 

Brookfleld  -  - - . .  445 

Bruce 841 

Dayton 266 

Deer   Park 320 

Dimmick    .  4ti6 

Eagle 441 

Earl 429 

Eden 347 

Fall  River 390 

Farm  Ridge ;i81 

Freedom 394 

Grand   Rapids 451 

Groveland 468 

Hope  . . 480 

La  Salle 372 

Manlius --.  310 

Mendota. 478 


Meriden 481 

Miller 458 

Mission. ,    414 

Northville 421 

Ophir 410 

Osage .  -  474 

Ottawa  - -  - .  223 

Ottawa  (Addenda) 484 

Otter  Creek 461 

Peru 360 

Richland -  -  472 

Rutland -  -  273 

Serena 435 

South  Ottawa 255 

Troy  Grove     403 

Utica. --.  354 

Vermillion 287 

Wallace ...-  483 

Waltham -.-  463 


Appendix. 


Botany  . .  - 486 

Geology- 503 

Fauna 514 

List  of  School  Commission- 
ers and  Superintendents.  532 

Churches  . .  - - .  - 533 

Assessments  and  Taxes 536 

Lodges - -  -  -  540 

Miscellaneous  Associations . .  541 


Manufactures - .  542 

Shipment  of  Produce 544 

Population 545 

Sale  of  Lots  in  Ottawa .  545 

Arrival  of  Boats  in  1849 545 

Grangers 546 

Cities  and  Villages  -   547 

Ottawa  Academy  of  Sciences.  548 

Conclusion 550 


Illustrations. 


View  of  Starved  Rock 

Fortification  at  Marseilles  - .  275 
Old  Fort  opposite  mouth  of 
Indian  Creek 285 


Map  of  Deer  Park -  32 1 

Survey  of  Fort  on  Bluff  south 
of  Starved  Rock -  339 


HISTORY  OF  LA  SALLE  COUNTY. 


TOPOGRAPHY. 


La  Salle  County  embraces  thirty-two  townships, 
or  about  1,152  square  miles,  and  occupies  geographi- 
cally a  central  and  commanding  position.  It  is 
nearly  central  to  the  northern  half  of  the  State,  and 
at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Illinois  river.  The 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  passes  through  its  centre, 
terminating  near  its  western  boundary,  connecting 
at  that  point  with  the  navigation  of  the  river,  and 
througli  that  with  all  the  navigable  rivers  of  this 
great  western  valley,  while  by  the  canal  it  has  wateK 
transportation  to  the  great  chain  of  lakes,  and 
through  them  to  the  eastern  seaboard.  Its  position 
is  the  key  to  the  most  natural  connection  between 
the  western  rivers  and  the  inland  seas  of  the  conti- 
nent. Its  surface  is  more  elevated  and  rolling  than 
most  of  the  prairie  region  south  of  it,  and  in  addi- 
tion there  is  a  considerable  descent  from  all  parts  of 
the  county  towards  the  Illinois  river,  which  passes 
through  the  centre  and  drains  nearly  its  entire 
surface.  The  difference  of  elevation  between  the 
top  of  the  bluff' at  La  Salle  and  Mendota  is  239  feet, 
and  at  the  county  line  north  of  Mendota,  371  feet. 
Tonica  is  143  feet  higher  than  La  Salle,  and  there  is 
an  increasing   though  undulating   elevation,  going 

2  9 


10  History  of  La  8alle  County. 

south,  to  a  point  seven  miles  north  of  Blooraington, 
which  point  is  367  feet  above  the  Central  R.  R.  station 
at  La  Salle,  and  that  station  is  eighty  feet  above 
low  water  in  the  river,  consequently  the  tributaries 
of  the  Illinois  have  a  rapid  descent  to  this  river, 
and  the  Illinois  is  a  quite  rapid  stream  in  this 
county,  thus  making  an  efficient  and  healthy  drain- 
age for  nearly  all  its  surface. 

The  scenery  is  on  a  grander  scale  than  most  of  the 
prairie  region  ;  there  are  more  magnificent  streams, 
higher  and  more  picturesque  blufls,  more  timber, 
and  better  distributed.  The  prairie  is  dryer  and 
more  rolling  than  most  of  that  south  of  it,  richer 
and  more  productive  than  that  north  of  it ;  it  oc- 
cupies an  intermediate  position,  and  boasts  of  the 
possession  of  the  best  qualities  of  both  extremes  of 
the  prairie  region  north  and  south. 

The  Illinois  river  seems  an  agricultural  as  well  as 
a  topographical  and  geological  axis.  While  the  soil 
south  of  the  river  is  as  black,  deep  and  rich  as  Sanga- 
mon County,  and  equally  a  corn  region,  that  north  of 
the  river  has  a  browner  soil,  is  better  for  wheat  and 
perhaps  not  quite  as  good  for  corn,  and  the  surface 
generally  more  rolling.  These  distinctions  are  not 
radical,  and  a  careless  observer  would  not  notice 
them,  but  they  exist  and  are  increased  radically, 
going  north  of  the  county,  owing  to  difference  of 
geological  formation. 

The  most  prominent  feature  of  the  topography  of 
the  county  is  the  Illinois  river,  which  intersects 
the  county  near  the  centre,  running  nearly  due 
west  ;  but   after   leaving   the  county,  its  course  is 


Topogrcqyliy.  11 


southwest  to  its  mouth.  The  Illinois  is  a  sluggish 
stream,  having  but  about  twenty-eight  feet  fall  in  a 
distance  of  nearly  200  miles,  being  less  than  the 
distance  allowed  in  canal  navigation,  but  in  La  Salle 
County  there  are  two  rapids,  one  at  Marseilles,  and 
-one  near  Starved  Rock,  each  capable  of  furnishing 
an  immense  w^ater  power.  The  river  is  deep  enough 
for  good  sized  boats  except  at  the  rapids.  There  was 
considerable  steamboat  traffic  between  Ottawa  and  St. 
Louis  before  the  canal  was  built,  but  since  its  com- 
pletion, terminating  at  La  Salle,  the  boats  seldom 
ascend  higher  than  that  place. 

The  valley  of  the  Illinois  is  from  one  to  near  two 
miles  wide.  From  where  it  enters  the  county  to 
within  three  miles  of  La  Salle,  it  is  above  high  water. 
Some  of  it  has  good  soil,  but  most  of  it  rests  oii  the 
St.  Peters  sandstone,  and  near  Utica  on  the  calcif- 
«rous  lime  rock,  and  the  soil  is  thin,  but  after  it 
strikes  the  carboniferous  formation,  above  La  Salle, 
the  soil  is  alluvium,  and  ver}'  rich,  but  subject  to 
inundation.    The  bluffs  are  from  100  to  140  feet  high. 

The  scenery-  along  this  valley  is  surpassingly 
beautiful.  The  broad  river  is  dotted  with  islands 
shaded  by  majestic  elms,  the  growth  of  centuries, 
the  whole  walled  in  by  the  sandstone  bluffs  on  either 
side,  presenting  mostly  a  mural  front,  frequently 
worn  by  the  elements  into  fantastic  shapes,  or  cut 
by  deep  and  romantic  canyons,  the  tops  clothed 
with  a  carpet  of  grass  and  fringed  with  scattering 
timber,  among  which  many  lofty  pines  are  con- 
spicuous. It  might  well  have  attractions,  as  it  ever 
has  had,  for  both  savage  and  civilized  man. 


12  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Starved  Rock,  a  point  of  the  bluff  separated  by 
the  denuding  iorce  of  water,  is  situated  one  mile 
above  Utica,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  which 
washes  its  base.  It  is  135  feet  high,  and  contains  an 
area  of  about  half  an  acre  on  the  top,  shaded  by 
evergreens.  It  is  of  especial  interest  from  the 
Indian  legends  connected  with  it,  and  as  the  site  of 
Fort  St.  Louis  of  the  French. 

Buffalo  Rock,  hardly  as  high  as  Starved  Rock,  is 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  four  miles  below 
Ottawa.  It  is  about  two  miles  long,  forty  to  sixty 
rods  wide,  its  southern  base  washed  by  the  river^ 
while  a  wide  cut,  through  which  part  of  the  river 
once  flowed,  separates  it  from  the  bluff  on  the 
north  ;  through  this  cut  the  canal  and  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  find  a  convenient 
passage.  This  rock  was  once  an  island  in  the 
Illinois,  as  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  Illinois  was, 
sometime  in  the  past,  much  wider  than  now,  and 
extended  from  bluff  to  bluff*,  through  the  extent  of 
the  valley  ;  the  water  marks  along  the  sand-rock 
bluffs,  and  the  washed  gravel  on  the  high  bot- 
toms, all  point  unmistakably  to  that  conclusion. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  lakes  stood  at  a  much 
higher  level  than  now,  and  doubtless  emptied  their 
waters  through  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  When  the  Niagara  broke  through  the 
heights  at  Lewiston  and  formed  the  Falls  of  Niag- 
ara, the  level  of  the  lakes  was  graduallv  sunk  until 
the  waters  sought  the  ocean  by  the  river  and  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence.  Since  then  the  Illinois  has  only 
drained  the  country  around  the  south  end  of  Lake 


Topography .  13 


Michiaan,  and  is  reduced  to  a  mere  rivulet  com- 
pared  with  its  former  niagnilicent  dimensions.  The 
valley  of  the  Illinois  was  then  more  like  a  continu- 
ous lake  than  a  river.  The  broad  and  deep  valley, 
filled  with  accumulated  waters  of  the  upper  lakes, 
must  have  formed  the  most  majestic  river  of  the 
West.  At  Beardstown  the  river  bottom  is  twelve 
miles  wide,  and  whoever  has  viewed  the  curiously- 
formed  detached  portions  of  the  bluff,  six  miles 
south  of  Beardstown,  could  have  come  to  no  other 
conclusion  than  that  the  waves  on  that  twelve  miles 
expanse  of  water,  driven  for  ages  by  the  fierce  west- 
ern prairie  winds,  could  alone  have  formed  those 
cones  and  pyramids  from  the  solid  bluff  now  stand- 
ing mementos  of  the  doings  of  a  by-gone  age.  This 
valley  lias  evidently  been  the  favorite  resort  of  all 
the  peoples  that  have  ever  occupied  the  country — the 
mounds  left  by  the  mound  builders  were  numerous 
along  all  the  prominent  parts  of  the  bluffs  and  high 
bottoms.  The  Illinois  Indians  made  this  their  central 
point,  and  here  was"  their  principal  town,  and  they 
fought  for  years,  with  the  northern  tribes,  for  its  pos- 
session. The  French  explorers  made  it  one  of  their 
principal  military,  missionary  and  trading  posts. 
Its  histoiy,  if  it  could  all  be  written,  would  be  of 
intense  interest. 

The  principal  southern  tributary  of  the  Illinois  is 
the  Big  Vermillion — the  Aramoni  of  the  French.  It 
cuts  the  south  part  of  the  county  from  southeast  to 
northwest,  emptying  into  the  Illinois  on  the  opposite 
side  and  one  mile  above  La  Salle.  It  is  a  rapid 
stream,  with  higli  bluffs  and  narrow  bottoms  ;  the 


14  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

scenery  along  its  banks  for  several  miles  from  its 
month  is  very  grand  and  imposing.  The  strata, 
which  compose  its  bluffs  are  rich  in  fossils,  and  the 
geologist  and  lover  of  nature  will  be  well  paid  for  a 
trip  along  its  rugged  banks.  The  famous  grotto  of 
Deer  Park  is  on  the  right  bank,  a  mile  or  two  from 
its  mouth.  It  is  in  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  which 
first  shows  itself  on  the  A^ermillion — it  is  a  cut  in  the 
bluff,  on  a  level  with  the  river  at  low  water,  wind- 
ing somewhat  like  the  letter  S,  and  extending  some 
hundred  rods  or  more.  The  sides  are  perpendicu- 
lar, and  at  the  extreme  end  about  ninety  feet  high. 
At  that  point  the  sides  project  or  shelve  over  about 
seventy  feet  on  each  side.  In  wet  weather  there  is 
a  pretty  waterfall,  and  at  all  times  a  clear  pool  of 
water  and  a  fine  spring.  The  opening  at  top  is  about 
one  hundred  feet,  and  is  fringed  with  pines  and  other 
trees.  It  is  a  great  curiosity  and  a  very  popular 
place  of  resort.  The  Vermillion  is  bordered  with 
timber  on  either  side,  and  in  the  upper  part  of  its 
course  has  some  bottoms,  of  very  heavy  timber.  Bai- 
ley's,  Otte^  and  Eagle  creeks,  and  many  smaller 
streams,  are  tributaries  of  the  Yermillion. 

Cov^ell  creek,  named  from,  the  first  settler  on  its 
banks,  is  the  other  considerable  southern  branch  of 
the  Illinois  in  the  county.  It  rises  in  T.  32,  R.  4, 
and  runs  westwardly  into  the  Illinois,  two  and  one- 
half  miles  below  Ottawa. 

The  principal  northern  tributar}^  of  the  Illinois, 
and  next  to  that  river  in  size,  is  the  Fox.  Its  waters 
are  clear,  and  the  extremes  of  high  and  low  water 
are  less  than  most  other  streams  in  the  county  ;  it  is 


Topography.  15 


one  of  the  best,  if  not  the  best,  mill  stream  in  the 
State,  and  there  is  more  improved  water  power  on 
the  Fox,  from  Wisconsin  to  its  mouth,  than  on  any 
other  stream  in  the  State,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
Rock  river,  probably  more  than  all  others.  It  enters 
the  county  on  its  eastern  side,  between  the  towns  of 
Northville  and  Mission,  and  runs  southeastwardly 
to  the  Illinois  at  Ottawa.  Its  banks  for  a  feAv  miles 
from  its  moutli  are  bordered  by  belts  of  timber,  while 
higher  up,  the  prairie  in  many  places  comes  to  the 
bank  of  the  stream.  It  runs  through  a  fine  rolling 
and  rich  prairie.  Big  and  Little  Indian,  Somanauk, 
Mission  and  Buck  creeks  are  the  principal  branches. 

The  Little  Vermillion,  a  northern  branch  of  the 
Illinois,  rises  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county, 
runs  south  to  the  Illinois  on  the  east  side  of  the  city 
.of  La  Salle.  Troy  Grove,  a  large  tract  of  excellent 
timber,  is  on  the  head  of  the  stream.  The  Toma- 
hawk is  the  principal  branch. 

The  Percomsoggin,  said  to  be  Indian  for  little  axe, 
rises  in  the  town  of  Waltham,and  runs  southwest  into 
the  Illinois,  half  a  mile  above  the  Little  Vermillion. 

The  bluffs  of  the  northern  tributaries  of  the  Illinois 
(except  when  they  approach  that  stream)  are  not 
as  high  as  the  southern,  they  run  over  a  different 
geological  formation,  and  the  overlying  drift  is  not 
as  deep,  and  the  bed  rock,  mostly  Trenton  and  St. 
Peters,  is  not  as  readily  denuded  as  that  of  the 
coal  measures  that  prevail  south  of  the  river. 

We  have  glanced  at  the  streams,  the  valleys,  the 
bluffs,  the  elevations  and  general  outline  of  the 
county,    but  the   great  bulk   of  its   territory,   the 


16  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

prairie  that  lies  between  and  fills  in  the  picture  from 
stream  to  stream,  remains  to  be  noticed.  It  forms 
all  the  elevated  portions  of  the  county.  The 
streams  of  course  are  on  the  lowest  ground,  and  the 
larger  streams,  w^lien  running  over  the  coal  meas- 
ures, are  sunk,  100  feet  or  more,  into  the  regular 
strata  after  leaving  the  drift,  and  on  the  St.  Peters 
sandstone  nearly  as  much  sunk  by  the  erosion  of 
the  water,  and  all  showing  that  the  amount  of  water 
tbat  did  that  excavating  was  much  greater  than 
runs  now.  Whether  that  occurred  when  the  ocean 
waters  first  receded  from  the  surface,  and  following 
all  the  de-|)ressions,  scooped  out  and  formed  channels 
for  all  the  future  streams  ;  or  whether  from  the  exist- 
tence  of  a  moist  climate  and  heav}'  rainfall,  the  same 
object  was  gradually  accomplished,  may  never 
be  known,  but  it  is  probable  it  was  a  combination* 
of  both.  At  all  events  the  cause  was  ample  for  the 
effect,  and  the  streams  are  all  placed  in  deep  beds, 
with  far  more  than  ample  room  for  the  discharge 
of  their  waters  in  any  contingency. 
.  The  prairie  extends  back  from  the  borders  of 
these  vallej's,  and  gradually  rises  to  the  ridges  or 
highest  ground  between  the  stream s^in  western 
parlance  called  divides,  because  they  separate  the 
water  running  to  different  streams.  The  timber 
being  confined  to  the  borders  of  the  streams,  is  con- 
sequently on  the  lowest  ground,  and  a  person 
standing  on  one  of  these  divides,  can  look  over  the 
timber  to  the  prairie  forming  the  divide  on  the 
opi)osite  side. 

These  ridoes  or  divides  when  seen  from  a  distance 


Topograpliy.  17 


are  easily  located,  but  when  a  closer  inspection  is 
attempted  they  ilee  like  an  ignis  fatuus;  though 
some  are  so  abrupt  as  to  be  well  detined,  they  are 
mostly  so  near  level  as  to  be  hard  to  locate. 

Emigrants  coming  from  a  timbered  region,  or  what 
in   its   primitive   state   was   such,  from  hilly  New 
England  or  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  or  New 
York,  could  have  had  no  conception  of  the  prairie 
region.     In  all  those  localities  the  land  was  covered 
with  timber,   except  where  the  hand  of  man  had 
removed  it.     They  regarded  that  condition  as  the 
natural  and  normal  state  of  any  country.     Add  to 
this  the  uneven,  rocky   and  broken  surface  of  the 
land   of  their  nativity,   and   the  first  view  of  the 
prairie   State  must  have  made  a  deep  impression. 
In  fact,   the  prairie  is  one   of  the  wonders  of  the 
world.      The   steppes    of    Asia    and    the   pampas 
of   South   America  are    wonderful   in   extent,  but 
for  richness   of  soil,  beauty   of  landscape,   and  all 
that    is    valuable  to  civilized     occupants,    neither 
they,    nor  any  other  locality  on   the  globe,  make 
any   approaches    to   successful    competition     with 
the   prairie   region    of    the  North    American    con- 
tinent.    The  deltas  of  the  Nile,  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  of  other  great  rivers,  possess  a  soil  as  rich  and 
as  level,  but  they  are  of  limited  extent,  and  the  sun 
in  its  daily  circuit  does  not  shine  on  a  country  of 
the  same  extent,  so  rich,  so  grand  and  beautiful  as 
the  prairie  before  the  hand  of  man  had  marred  and 
defaced  it. 

That  region  with  us  is  now  transformed  to  a  popu- 
lous and  cultivated  country,    and  the  future  will 


18  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

never  witness  in  its  native  wildness  and  beanty  the 
fairest  scenery  tliat  uncultivated  nature  ever  pre- 
sented to  the  view  of  man. 

A  timbered  region,  covered  by  the  dark,  primeval 
forest,  is  grand  and  impressive  ;  its  darl?:  and  sombre 
shades,  and  deep  and  tangled  recesses,  are  well  cal- 
culated  to    foster    a   superstitious   dread,    and    to 
people  its  unexplored  depths  with  the  witches  and 
goblins  of  the  past,  or  with  the  whispering  ghosts 
of  which  Ossian  sings  so  mournfully.     But  no  such 
goblins  haunted  the  prairie.    An  imaginative  organi- 
zation might  have  fancied  the  fairies  sporting  in  the 
evening  shadows,  as  approaching  night  shut  in  the 
landscape,  or  departing  from  their  midnight  revels 
among  the  curling  mist  as  they  vanished  before  the 
glories  of  a  prairie  sunrise.      The  early  occupants 
of  the  prairie  will  remember  noticing  circles  on  the 
prairie  from  fifteen  to  twenty  or  more  feet  across, 
distinguisliable  only  by  a  ranker  and  heavier  growth 
of  grass,  but  very  distinctly  marked.     What  caused 
them  was  not  known,  though  some  ascribed  them 
to  lightning  strokes.     Similar  phenomena  exist  in 
the   natural  meadow  and   grass  land  in  England, 
and  are  there  called  fairy-rings  or  fairy-circles,  vul- 
garly supposed  to  be  caused  by  the  fairies  in  their 
dances.      If  Sir  Walter  Scott  had   written   in   the 
midst  of  the  prairie  region  instead  of  among  the 
glens  and  wilds  of  the  Scottish  Highlands,  where 
witchcraft  and  demonology  have  ever  found  their 
favorite  fastnesses,  his  genius  would  not  have  been 
so  deeply  tinged  with  the  supernatural,  and  war- 


Topograpliy.  19 


locks  and  witches  wo  aid  not  have  danced  so  freely 
over  his  pages. 

The  quiet  and  sylvan  beauty  which  clothes  the 
vast,  the  limitless  expanse,  impressed  and  fashioned 
the  imagination  to  cooler,  more  genial  and  happier 
thoughts — the  grand  and  the  peaceful  occupied  the 
mind,  and  left  no  room  for  those  horrible  creations 
of  the  fancy  which  destroyed  the  judgment  and  bru- 
talized the  occupants  of  the  dark  forests  of  central 
Europe,  and  even  found  a  foothold  in  the  dense  and 
tangled  wild  woods  of  rugged  New  England.  A 
feeling  of  chastened  personal  dignity  as  the 
occupant  of  such  a  heritage,  and  of  reverence  for 
the  power  that  fashioned  it,  forcibly  impressed  the 
mind,  as,  standing  upon  the  vast,  illimitable  plain 
which  spread  in  all  directions,  wave  succeeding 
wave,  and  undulation  following  undulation,  far 
away,  till  the  earth  and  sky  met  and  shut  in  the 
power  of  vision.  It  seemed  as  if  a  boundless  ocean, 
set  in  motion  by  a  powerful  storm  and  then  quieted, 
the  bosom  of  the  water  smoothly  heaving,  all  in 
motion,  forming  the  most  graceful  curves  and 
swells,  had  been  instantly  chilled,  hardened  to  solid 
land— such  was  the  prairie. 

Standing  on  a  swell  of  the  prairie  on  a  clear  day 
in  early  summer,  the  luxuriant  grass  waving  in  the 
wind,  the  shadows  of  the  summer  clouds  fitfully 
chasing  each  other  on  beyond  the  power  of  vision, 
the  observer  could  fancy  the  ocean  restored  and  the 
long  swells  again  in  motion  ;  or,  taking  a  stand  in 
one  of  the  numerous  points  of  timber  which  ex- 
tended either  way  from  the  large  streams,  an  open 


20  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

grove,  clear  of  underbnisli  and  covered  with  a  green 
sward,  and  tlie  view  taking  in  the  alternation  of 
timber  and  prairie,  a  scene  was  presented  that  for 
extent,  beauty  and  grandeur  art  can  never  expect  to 
imitate,  and  having  once  been  destroyed  can  never 
be  restored. 

Whence  came  the  prairie  \  What  peculiar  condi- 
tions caused  this  region  to  grow  grass  alone,  while 
all  others  grow  timber  «! 

The  question  seems  j)artialh^  answered  by  the 
relative  location  of  the  timber  and  prairie.  The 
timber  grows  ontlie  alluvial  bottoms  where  partially 
protected  from  the  prairie  fires,  or  on  the  thin  soil  of 
the  bluffs,  wliile  the  rich  and  deep  prairie  soil  and 
the  alluvial,  where  exposed  to  the  fires,  grow  grass 
and  no  timber.  AVhen  the  ocean  receded  from  the 
rich  and  deep  soil  which  had  been  deposited  in  its 
apparent  quiet  waters,  as  it  was  partially  a  swamp, 
the  sedges  and  coarse  grasses  would  soon  grow  with 
a  luxuriance  proportioned  to  the  temperature,  mois- 
ture and  richness  of  the  soil.  Trees  do  not  readil}^ 
grow  in  such  a  soil,  and  if  they  did,  it  would  require 
a  large  number  of  years  to  enable  them  to  withstand 
even  a  moderate  fire ;  but  grass  grows  in  a  single 
season,  and,  when  dry,  furnishes  sufficient  fuel  to 
effectually  burn  up  or  destroy  any  young  timber 
sprouts  of  one  or  two  years'  growth  that  might  exist. 
Thus  we  might  expect  no  trees,  but  an  annual  growth 
of  grass  on  the  richest  soil,  and  where  ex^^osed  to 
the  annual  fires  ;  while  a  poor  soil  growing  too  little 
grass  for  fuel  to  sustain  an  annual  fire,  and  localities 
sheltered  or  protected  in  any  way  from  tlie  fires, 


Topography.  21 


would  grow  up  to  timber — and  such  was  found  to 
be  the  fact.  ISTarrow  strips  of  land  between  streams 
or  branches  of  streams  were  generally  timber  land. 
The  soil  on  the  top  of  the  bluffs  and  near  the  streams 
was,  and  is,  invariably  thin,  and  not  as  well  adapted  to 
grass  as  the  prairie — this  soil  is  nearly  all  timber,  and 
has  the  additional  advantage  of  protection  in  one 
direction  by  the  stream.  The  smooth  and  level  sur- 
face would  facilitate  the  progress  of  the  annual  fires, 
while  a  rough,  rocky  and  uneven  surface  would 
check  them.  The  great  extent  of  the  region  over 
which  these  conditions  existed  would  aid  the  spread 
of  the  fire  when  started,  and  some  part  of  so  extended 
a  region  would  be  likely  to  take  fire,  while  if  divided 
into  small  and  isolated  tracts  like  the  present  fields, 
fires  would  be  seldom  known.  Lightning  alone 
would  be  a  sufficient  cause  for  the  annual  firing  of 
so  large  a  tract,  and  this,  at  an  early  day,  was 
doubtless  the  agent  that  effected  it. 

It  was  the  opinion  of  the  early  settlers,  that  at 
that  time,  the  prairie  was  encroaching  upon  the  tim- 
ber ;  in  fact,  the  bluff  timber  was  all  old,  and  a  ma- 
jority of  the  trees  injured  b}^  the  fire,  and  there  was 
no  young  growth;  an  ox  gad  or  a  hoop  pole  could 
not  be  found  except  in  some  sheltered  nook  of  the 
bluff,  or  on  the  sheltered  alluvial  bottoms,  but  as 
soon  as  the  barrens,  as  they  were  termed,  were  pro- 
tected from  fire,  they  rapidly  grew  up  with  a  thrifty 
crop  of  well-set  timber,  showing  that  the  fire  had 
been  the  only  impediment  to  that  result. 

The  prairie,  although  protected  from  fire,  did  not 
rapidly  grow  to  timber,  for  the  reason  there  were 


22  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

no  roots  or  germs  to  start  from,  as  tliere  was  in  the 
barrens,  but  the  principal  reason  was,  that  no  tree 
will  grow  readily  in  the  unbroken  prairie  sod,  as 
most  of  the  settlers  found  by  dear  experience — but 
the  timber  did  spread  to  the  prairie,  lirst  a  few  hazel 
bushes,  these  would  hold  the  leaves  at  the  roots, 
thus  mulching  and  killing  the  turf,  then  a  few  crab 
ajDples,  then  oak  and  hickor}^. 

There  was  probably  a  time  when,  from  the  recur- 
rence of  wet  seasons,  a  general  moist  climate,  or 
other  cause,  the  timber  had  encroached  upon  the 
prairie,  else  there  would  have  been  no  timber — but 
the  whole  history  since  the  waters  retired,  had  evi- 
dently been  a  contest  for  supremacy  between  the  two. 

At  the  date  of  the  white  settlements  the  timber 
had  retired  to  the  banks  of  the  streams,  to  the  thin- 
nest soil  and  to  the  low  bottoms,  and  in  most  cases 
was  still  retiring.  As  j^roof  of  this,  it  was  noticed 
that  in  many  instances  the  extreme  points,  the  out- 
posts or  picket  lines  of  timber  had  retired  and  left 
roots  and  stumps  burnt  to  or  under  the  surface,  yet 
in  reach  of  the  plow,  mementos  of  its  former  status. 

Most  of  the  bluff  timber  was  stationary  or  decay- 
ing, very  little  making  a  thrift}^  growth,  and  as  the 
3'oung  si^routs  were  annualh'  killed,  it  was  impos- 
sible for  the  timber  to  hold  its  own.  The  writer  has 
a  vivid  recollection  of  the  first  fire  he  witnessed, 
which  was  a  very  severe  one,  passing  through  the 
timber.  Hundreds  of  trees  were  on  fire  to  their  ex- 
treme tops,  presenting  in  a  dark  night  a  most  mag- 
nificent but  terrific  view,  much  less  enjoyable  from 
the  fact  that  so  much  timber  was  being  destroyed. 


Tojpograpliy.  23 


Those  trees  burnt  for  several  days,  and  a  frequent 
crash  and  thud  told  that  the  monarchs  of  the  forest, 
the  growth  of  centuries,  were  yielding  to  their  con- 
quering foe, — a  most  conclusive  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion, why  is  it  that  timber  does  not  grow  on  the 
prairies  %  Oaks  and  hickories  are  the  most  hardy 
and  least  injured  by  fire,  consequently  were  the  only 
varieties  on  the  bluffs,  and  if  these  were  receding  be- 
fore the  common  enemy^,  it  could  not  be  expected 
that  the  more  tender  varieties  could  exist  at  all. 

On  the  sheltered  bottoms  were  found  all  the  va- 
rieties of  timber  common  to  the  climate,  that  is, 
where  the  timber  had  obtained  the  ascendency,  so 
as  to  prevent  the  growth  of  grass  sufficient  to  sustain 
the  fire. 

Black  and  white  walnut,  linden,  elms,  sycamore, 
ash,  maples,  etc.,  were  found  in  abundance,  but 
were  not  found  on  the  bluffs,  as  they  would  be  killed 
b}^  a  fire  that  would  leave  the  oaks  and  hickorj"  un- 
scathed. 

Points  of  timber  occupying  a  bend  or  angle  of  a 
stream,  well  out  on  the  verge  of  the  timber  point, 
and  on  the  prairie  soil,  often  consisted  of  walnut  and 
other  varieties  of  bottom  timber,  proving  that  such 
a  soil  was  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  different 
varieties  of  timber — a  truth  also  proved  by  the  suc- 
cessful cultivation  of  artificial  groves  and  belts. 

After  the  lapse  of  more  than  forty  years,  the  old 
timber  has  nearly  all  been  removed,  and  the  fires 
checked  and  finally  eftectually  stopped  by  the  im- 
provements of  the  settlers  ;  that  which  was  then  tim- 
ber lands,   or  barrens,   has  grown  a  thrifty  crop  of 


24  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

yoansr  timber,  not  only  of  oak  and  liickorv.  but 
where  tlie  soil  is  deep  and  rich,  a  sprinkling  of  wal- 
nut, linden,  and  other  varieties  of  what  was  termed 
bottom  timber,  being  then  confined  to  such  localities. 
The  rapidity  with  which  timber  spontaneously  starts 
wherever  the  germs  exist,  and  its  rapid  and  thrifty 
growth,  show  that  our  soil  is  inherently  a  timber 
soil,  and  that  in  the  not  very  distant  future,  our  State 
will  be  better  supplied  with  good  timber  than  those 
States  originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  Western  New  York, 
Ohio,  and  other  heavih^-wooded  regions,  when  once 
cleared  seldom  produce  a  valuable  new  growth,  and 
the  reckless  waste  made  by  the  occupants  of  those 
States  will  be  repaid  by  succeeding  generations  in 
high  prices  and  a  scarcity  of  the  article. 

The  low  price  and  abundance  of  pine  lumber  and 
the  facilities  for  transportation  have  reduced  the 
price  of  timber-land  in  Illinois,  so  that  it  will  hardly 
bring  the  prices  it  did  thirty  years  ago,  and  many 
are  cutting  off  the  second  growth  and  putting  the 
land  under  cultivation — all  tending  to  a  reckless 
exhaustion  of  the  timber  supply.  There  can  be  no 
question  but  that  the  immense  demand  over  all  the 
prairie  region  for  lumber,  and  the  readiness  with 
which  that  want  is  supplied,  must,  within  the  life 
of  another  generation,  exhaust  the  supply,  and  the 
warnings  of  thoughtful  and  sagacious  men,  to  guard 
against  the  danger,  ought  to  be  heeded.  The  supph- 
once  exhausted  can  not  be  restored  for  generations — 
the  one  to  two  hundred  yeai-s  required  to  produce 
a  perfected  growth  of  full-size  timber  is  quite  an 


Economic  Geology.  25 

item  in  the  count  of  time,  and  a  long  period  to  wait 
for  the  production  of  a  crop — and  it  will  be  wise  to 
husband  our  resources  and  save  while  we  can,  hav- 
ing at  least  a  thought  for  the  future.  The  timber 
growing  in  Illinois  will  all  be  wanted,  and  at  a  price 
that  will  pay  for  its  culture.  The  railroads  built, 
and  to  be  built,  which  have  to  renew  their  ties  every 
eight  or  ten  years,  will  consume  all  the  timber  the 
State  can  produce,  and  when  the  lumber  region  fails, 
as  fail  it  must,  there  will  be  a  still  greater  amount 
needed  for  building  and  fencing  purposes. 


ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY. 

The  geology  of  a  country  is  the  first  element  of 
its  form,  character  and  resources.  The  face  of  the 
country,  the  scenery,  the  depth  of  the  river  beds, 
form  of  the  river  banks  or  bluffs,  the  soil,  and  its 
mineral  resources,  are  all  determined  by  its  geology, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  its  natural  and  exotic  produc- 
tions, its  timber,  plants,  fruits  and  grains,  are  to  a 
great  extent  governed  or  influenced  by  it,  modified, 
however,  by  its  climate. 

Central  and  Northern  Illinois,  in  common  with 
most  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  rests  upon  a  hori- 
zontal and  nearly  level  bed  rock. 

All  sedimentary  rocks  are  formed  in  horizontal 
beds,  and  only  assume  other  positions  when  up- 
heaved or  displaced  by  some  great  convulsion  of 
nature,  as  shown  in  volcanic  and  mountainous  re- 
gions. This  Western  valley  appears  to  have  suf- 
fered but  little  displacement,    and   its   underlying 


26  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

rock  and  all  its  regular  strata,  form  one  grand  mag- 
nificent floor,  from  the  Alleglianies  to  tlie  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  necessarily  a  level  champaign  coun- 
try'— the  grandest  theatre  for  human  effort  ever 
vouchsafed  to  man. 

The  bed  rock  or  regular  rock  deposit  in  La  Salle 
County  is  covered  with  the  drift  deposit  from  a  tri- 
fling depth  at  the  edge  of  the  bluffs  to  a  maximum 
depth  of  150  feet  at  the  divides  or  highest  points  of 
the  prairies  between  the  streams. 

From  this  point  with  a  rolling  or  undulating  sur- 
face, the  descent  is  gradual  to  the  streams  forming 
the  water  sheds  or  natural  drainage  of  the  country. 
This  descent  is  owing  to  the  different  depths  of  the 
drift  deposit,  and  not  to  the  uneven  surface  of  the 
rock  strata  below — but  the  gradual  rise  in  long 
ascents  of  the  country  going  north,  and  frecxuently 
in  other  directions,  is  due  to  the  gradual  swells  or 
ascent  of  the  underlying  rocks.  From  the  beds  of 
the  streams  and  bottom  lands,  this  strata  has  mostly 
been  denuded  or  washed  away,  but  leaving  boulders 
and  other  evidence  that  it  once  covered  the  entire 
country. 

The  drift  is  composed  of  clay,  sand,  gravel,  and 
boulders  or  granite  rock,  and  in  it  is  found  at  all 
depths,  pebbles,  all  worn  smooth  by  attrition — bits 
of  coal,  and  in  numerous  instances  at  different 
depths,  pieces  of  wood,  mostly  black  walnut,  cedar, 
or  other  durable  timber — showing  that  this  is  a 
comparatively  recent  deposit.  Geologists  agree  that 
it  was  brought  from  the  north  b}^  glaciers — rivers  or 
oceans  of  ice,  of  which  the  glaciers  of  the  Alps,  or 


Economic  Geology.  27 

the  far  more  magnificent  ones  of  Greenland,  are  bnt 
miniature  specimens.  From  causes  existing  at  tlie 
time,  whether  from  a  generally  colder  climate,  or 
from  peculiar  currents  of  the  atmosphere  not  now 
existing,  which  carried  the  vapor  from  the  warmer 
regions  of  the  earth  to  the  north,  where  it  formed  an 
ocean  of  ice  several  thousands  of  feet  in  thickness, 
which  by  its  weight  cruslied  and  forced  its  lower 
portions  forward,  grinding  to  powder  and  leveling 
the  surface  of  the  earth  with  a  power  beyond  con- 
ception, it  spread  over  most  of  the  north  part  of  the 
continent,  marking  the  hills  and  mountains  of  the 
East  with  striw  or  grooves  in  the  solid  rock.  Its 
action  is  well  described  by  the  adage — "The  mills 
of  the  Gods  grind  slow,  but  very  fine."  Its  deposit 
here  formed  from  what  would  have  been  a  dead  level 
and  wet  surface,  a  rolling  and  dry  one,  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  richest  soil  that  exists  over  so  large 
a  surface.  Without  the  foundation  of  the  drift, 
that  soil  could  never  have  existed. 

Over  the  south  part,  and  more  than  half  of  the 
county,  the  drift  rests  upon  the  carboniferous  or 
coal  formation,  being  the  northern  termination  of 
the  great  coal  field  of  the  State.  Its  northern  limit 
is  a  little  north  of  the  Illinois  river,  but  most  of  it 
north  of  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  and  east  of  Ottawa, 
with  few  exceptions,  lies  upon  the  St.  Peters  sand- 
stone, approaches  the  outcrop,  and  is  of  little  im- 
portance. The  amount  of  coal  embraced  in  the 
county  is  almost  unlimited  in  amount,  generally  of 
excellent  qualit}^  and  its  value,  present  and  pros- 
pective, can  hardly  be  overestimated. 


28  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

There  are  three  veins  in  the  west  part  of  the 
count}^,  mined  principally  at  La  Salle  and  vicinity, 
aggregating  a  thickness  of  about  thirteen  feet.  They 
underlie  the  Illinois  valley  and  the  bluft's  on  either 
side  ;  toward  the  east  rising  rapidly  over  the  axis 
of  the  St.  Peters  sandstone.  The  two  upper  ones 
crop  out  and  disappear,  while  the  lower  one  overlies 
the  St.  Peters  to  Ottawa  and  Marseilles,  and  up 
the  Vermillion  to  S.  24,  T.  32,  R.  2.  Here  this  vein 
terminates  its  outcrop,  being  in  the  bottom  of  the 
Vermillion.  Another  vein  has  been  found  by  bor- 
ing, at  this  point,  forty- seven  feet  below  the  first, 
which  extends  to  Streator  and  beyond,  over  a  large 
extent  of  territory.  It  is  reported  at  from  three  to 
four  feet  thick,  and  of  best  quality.  It  lies  about 
one  hundred  feet  below  the  vein  now  being  worked 
at  Streator,  and  has  been  there  explored  only  by 
boring.  The  State  geological  report  claims  that  this 
is  the  La  Salle  lower  vein,  which  is  evidently  a  mis- 
take. The  vein  worked  at  Vermillionville  and 
Lowell,  acknowledged  to  be  that  vein,  is  forty-live 
feet  below  the  brown  sand-rock,  (a  conspicuous  strata 
on  the  Vermillion),  and  the  vein  which  crops  out 
in  the  river  on  Section  21,  is  the  same  distance  below 
that  rock  with  the  same  strata  intervening  as  at 
Lowell,  while  the  vein  shows  itself  in  nearly  all  the 
ravines  between  the  two  places,  graduall}^  declining 
from  several  feet  above  the  river  to  its  bottom  on 
Section  24 ;  while  the  vein  in  controversy  is  forty- 
seven  feet  below  that,  with  entirely  difterent  strata 
intervening  between  the  two.  Two  shafts  have  been 
sunk  on  S.  31,  T.  32,  R.  3,  and  this  vein  is  for  the 


Economic  Geology.  29 

first  time  being  worked.  It  proves  a  valuable  vein. 
It  is  three  and  a  half  feet  or  over  in  thickness,  and 
of  excellent  quality.  For  blacksmithing,  generating 
steam,  and  all  purposes  so  far  as  used,  it  is  superior 
to  any  other  coal  found  in  the  county. 

The  next  vein  found  in  ascending  tlie  Yermillion 
is  on  Section  10,  called  the  Kirkpatrick  or  Cook 
bed.  Its  extent  is  not  fully  known.  It  lies  above 
the  river,  and  is  worked  by  drifting  from  the  river 
bottom.  A  shaft  sunk  by  David  Strawn  on  the 
S.  W.  ^  of  S.  2,  found  nine  feet  of  coal  eighty  feet 
below  the  surface.  It  is  a  fair  coal,  but  not  as  good 
as  the  same  vein  higher  up  the  river,  which  is  ex- 
tensively worked  at  Streator.  This  vein  has  an 
average  thickness  of  about  five  feet,  and  extends 
over  a  large  area.  It  is  mined  on  a  large  scale  for 
shipment  hy  the  several  railroads  centering  at 
Streator ;  aggregating  over  a  thousand  tons  per 
day,  and  constantly  increasing.  This  coal  field,  and 
the  one  at  La  Salle,  are  among  the  most  extensive 
and  valuable  in  the  State. 

The  immense  supply  of  motive  power,  both  coal 
and  water,  with  the  commanding  geographical 
position  of  the  county,  and  facilities  for  cheap 
transportation,  indicate  that  it  must  at  sometime 
become  a  great  manufacturing  district.  It  is  true, 
its  agricultural  resources  are  second  to  none,  and  if 
purely  agricultural  can  compete  with  any  of  her  sister 
counties  of  like  character ;  but  it  Avould  be  the 
most  reckless  folly  to  neglect  and  spurn  those 
facilities  for  a  diversified  industry  which  nature 
has   lavished    so    profusely  upon   us.     No    purel}^ 


30  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

asfricultural  res;ion  can  ever  be  rich.  Ao-iicnltiire 
flourishes  best,  and  its  profits  are  doubled,  when 
along  side  a  manufacturing  industr}".  In  fact,  all 
the  pursuits  of  an  enlightened  civilization  flourish 
best  in  the  vicinity  of  each  other  ;  all  are  mutually 
dependent,  and  languish  isolated  and  alone :  and 
that  community  is  the  most  wealthy,  refined  and 
intelligent  that  cultivates  all  the  arts  and  Indus- 
tries — that  so  far  as  climate,  location  and  resources 
will  permit,  is  of  itself  a  miniature  world,  its  citizens 
living  independent,  and  by  their  own  industiy  sup- 
plying most  of  their  wants. 

If  this  generation  does  not  utilize  the  natural  ad- 
vantages of  our  position,  some  other  will,  and  will 
laugh  at  the  folly  of  this.  Our  advantages  are  too 
prominent  to  always  escape  the  notice  of  discerning- 
business  men,  and  the  field  is  too  ample  to  remain 
long  unappropriated. 

There  are  few  localities  in  the  State  where  nature 
has  bestowed  with  a  more  lavish  hand  such  riches 
of  mineral  wealth  as  lie  beneath  the  soil  of  La  Salle 
County. 

Being  the  northern  border  of  the  coal  field,  and  ad- 
joining a  rich  agricultural  region  to  the  north 
entirely  destitute  of  that  article,  it  has  superior 
advantages  of  location  for  supph^ing  that  market. 
In  addition,  the  iron  and  other  ores  at  the  north  will 
be  brought  here  for  smelting. 

It  takes  about  three  tons  of  coal  to  reduce  two 
tons  of  ore,  being  one-third  cheaper  to  bring  tlie  ore 
to  the  coal  than  to  carry  the  coal  to  the  ore.  The 
coal  fields  of  Illinois  l3^ing  between  the  ores  of  Lake 


Economic  Geology.  31 

Superior  and  the  Iron  Mountain  region  of  Missouri, 
makes  it  a  prominent  locality  for  the  iron  manufac- 
ture, and  the  light  from  her  furnaces  may  at  some 
time  in  the  future,  to  some  extent,  rival  the  light  of 
the  prairie  fires  of  her  early  settlement. 

An  anticlinal  axis  composed  of  the  St.  Peters 
sandstone — a  part  of  the  Silurian  series,  which  prop- 
erly belongs  far  below  the  carboniferous,  crosses 
the  county  nearly  from  southwest  to  northeast.  It 
is  first  seen  on  the  Yermillion  above  Deer  Park.  It 
forms  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  ]iver  from  Little 
Rock  to  Ottawa,  and  above,  and  is  seen  on  the  Fox 
extending  into  Kendall  County,  and  the  same  strata 
underlies  the  drift  over  more  than  one-third  of  the 
county.  Its  full  thickness  is  about  150  feet ;  in  some 
places  much  thicker.  It  rises  quite  abruptly,  form- 
ing the  axis,  displacing  the  carboniferous  and 
taking  its  place.  This  axis  is  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  the  coal  measures  east  of  Ottawa,  and  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  La  Salle  basin,  about  three 
miles  east  of  La  Salle,  with  the  exception  of  the 
bottom  vein,  which  overlies  the  St.  Peters  at 
Buffalo  Rock,  Ottawa,  and  above. 

The  upheaval  of  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  fur- 
nishes the  best  material  for  glass  manufacture,  and 
will  be  the  source  of  an  extensive  and  profitable  in- 
dustry. The  material  is  of  the  best  qualit}^ ;  the 
amount  inexhaustible,  easy  of  access,  and  the  fuel 
cheap  and  close  at  hand — a  combination  of  advan- 
tages that  can  scarcely  be  matched  elsewhere.  TJie 
use  of  glass  increases,  as  wealth,  taste  and  luxury 


32  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

increase,  and  tliis  pursuit  may  well  anticipate  a 
large  growth  in  the  not  distant  future. 

It  was  very  fortunate  for  this  locality  that  nature, 
n  necessit}^  or  pastime,  elevated  and  left  for  our 
use  tlie  riches  of  the  Silurian  strata,  which  would 
otherwise  have  remained  far  below  our  reach.  In 
addition  to  the  great  value,  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  of  the  St.  Peters  sandstone,  com^Dosed  of 
nearl}^  pure  quartz,  it  gave  us  the  picturesque  views 
of  Little  Rock,  Split  Eock,  Clark's  Falls,  Starved 
Rock  and  Deer  Park,  all  in  this  strata,  and  which 
owe  their  peculiar  structure  to  this  formation. 

Beneath  the  St.  Peters  lies  the  calciferous  ;  barely 
brought  within  reach  on  the  low  bottoms  between 
Utica  and  La  Salle. 

The  calciferous  has  a  special  interest  as  being  the 
onl}^  outcrop  of  this  strata  in  the  State,  and  is  here 
limited  to  seven  or  eight  square  miles,  and  contains 
beds  from  which  excellent  hydraulic  lime  is  made — 
an  article  of  great  economic  value,  and  supplying  a 
constantl3^-increasing  demand.  Over  100,000  barrels 
have  been  manufactured  in  a  3'ear.  How  and  when 
was  this  axis  formed,  bringing  within  reach  mineral 
wealth  of  an  untold  amount '.  Was  it  elevated  be- 
fore or  after  the  deposit  of  the  coal  measures  i  The 
lower  vein  of  coal  rests  conformably  on  the  St. 
Peters.  If  that  bed  was  horizontal  elsewhere,  as 
well  as  on  the  St.  Peters,  and  at  the  same  level,  it 
might  reasonably  be  inferred  that  the  coal  was  de- 
posited after  the  upheaval.  But  such  is  not  the 
fact.  When  the  veins  of  the  La  Salle  basin  ap- 
proach the  west  side  of  the  axis  they  rise  at  a  very 


EconomiG  Geology.  33 


abrupt  angle.  Was  coal  ever  deposited  in  that 
position  %  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  material 
of  which  the  coal  was  formed  was  probably  de- 
posited in  water,  and  consequently  at  a  water  level, 
and  the  fact  that  coal  occupies  basins,  usually  thick- 
est in  the  central  part,  corroborates  that  opinion. 
There  are  other  indications  that  give  some  clue  to 
the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  axis.  At  the  cut- 
ting of  the  Illinois  bluff,  on  the  road  from  Ottawa 
to  Vermillionville,  just  after  crossing  Co  veil  creek, 
the  bottom  portion  of  the  brown  sand-rock  is  tilted 
to  an  angle  of  about  thirty  degrees,  the  side  to- 
ward the  axis  being  elevated,  while  the  top  portion 
of  the  sand-rock  lies  in  a  horizontal  position,  over- 
lying and  resting  on  the  disturbed  portion.  This 
seems  conclusive  that  the  axis  was  formed,  or  at 
least  this  disturbance  occurred,  during  the  deposit 
of  this  sand-rock,  which  is  in  the  upper  series  of 
the  carboniferous.  In  this  locality  the  carbonif- 
erous rests  on  the  Trenton  limestone,  and  the 
Trenton  overlaps,  at  an  ascending  angle,  the 
southern  slope  of  the  anticlinal  axis,  composed  of 
the  St.  Peters,  which  appears  in  the  bank  of  the 
creek  under  the  Trenton,  but  soon  rises  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  banks,  and  the  Trenton  disappears. 

If  this  theory  be  true,  the  La  Salle  coal  was 
deposited  before  the  formation  of  the  axis,  while 
the  Kirkpatrick  or  Cook  bed  was  deposited  after,  as 
that  lies  above  the  brown  sand-rock. 

The  Trenton  limestone  is  largely  used  for  build- 
ing purposes,  and  some  parts  of  the  strata  make  a 
good,  white  lime.     It  is  quarried  at  Homer,  Lowell, 


34  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Covell  creek,  and  other  points,  and  extensively  used 
for  bridges,  aqueducts,  culverts,  cellars,  wells,  etc. 

The  brown  sand-rock  is  used  quite  extensively  for 
cellars  and  wells,  and  the  solid  portion  answers  a 
very  good  purpose. 

A  few  feet  at  the  bottom  of  the  St.  Peters  is 
sufficiently  cohesive  for  building  purposes. 

The  county  is  rich  in  claj^s.  A  very  good  fire  claj^ 
in  immense  quantities  underlies  the  coal ;  is  of  great 
value  for  the  manufacture  of  ware,  tile,  fire  brick, 
lining  for  stoves  and  furnaces,  and  tlie  various  uses 
to  which  such  a  clay  is  adapted,  and  will  doubtless 
eventually  be  of  great  economic  importance.  The 
drift  clay  of  the  subsoil  over  most  of  the  county  is 
an  excellent  material  for  common  brick.  All  of 
these  clays  have  no  real  limit,  but  can  supply  any 
demand  for  a  decade  of  geologic  time. 


MOUND  BUILDERS. 

After  a  knowledge  of  the  topography  and  geology 
of  a  country,  we  may  well  proceed  to  investigate  its 
history,  to  know  the  uses  it  has  subserved  through 
the  long  ages  of  the  past. 

It  is  a  very  natural  subject  of  inquiry  for  any 
people,  to  know  who  preceded  them  in  the  land  they 
occupy,  and  who  were  the  first  possessors  of  the  soil — 
not  only  who  they  were,  but  wliat  they  were,  and  under 
what  circumstances  tliey  possessed  it.  The  people 
of  this  country,  the  European  emigrants  and  their 
descendants,  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  them- 
selves as  the  first,  with  the  exception  of  the  wild» 


Mound  Builders.  35 


savage  tribes  ;  and  for  two  linndred  years  after  its  dis- 
covery and  settlement  by  the  Europeans  this  theory 
remained  unquestioned.  But  soon  after  the  wliite 
settlements  extended  over  the  Alleghanies,  the  dis- 
covery of  mounds,  or  earth  works  of  a  variety  of 
forms,  of  which  the  Indians  knew  nothing,  arrested 
the  attention  of  the  curious,  and  as  settlements  ex- 
tended over  this  Western  valley  these  discoveries 
were  multiplied  almost  indefinitely.  These  tumuli  or 
mounds  are  mostly  mausoleums  or  receptacles  for 
the  dead,  and  usually  contain  one  or  more  skeletons, 
with  pottery,  copper  utensils,  beads,  and  other  trin- 
kets. Numerous  mounds  for  other  than  burial  pur- 
poses exist  in  the  form  of  animals,  men,  etc.,  some 
apparently  for  fortifications,  and  many  the  object 
of  which  can  not  be  determined. 

These  relics  of  a  bygone  age  are  spread  from  the 
Alleghanies  far  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  unmistakably  indicate  the  existence,  at  some 
time  in  the  past,  of  a  numerous  and  partially  civil- 
ized people. 

This  race,  popularly  called  the  mound  builders, 
comprised  an  immense  population,  and  were  doubt- 
less an  agricultural  people,  as  they  could  not  have 
subsisted  in  such  numbers  by  any  other  means. 
The  remains  of  their  gardens  of  considerable  extent 
still  exist  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  The 
Lake  Superior  copper  mines  were  doubtless  worked 
by  them,  as  they  possessed  copper  utensils,  such  as 
knives,  awls,  needles,  etc.  ;  and  deep  excavations 
existed  in  the  mines  when  first  visited  by  the  whites. 


36  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

requiring  an  amount  of  labor  tliat  the  Indians  never 
performed.  This  pottery  was  of  fine  quality,  much 
of  it  highly  ornamented,  and  very  durable,  being 
still  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  Their  imple- 
ments remain  as  the  only  mementoes  of  their  business, 
tastes,  and  skill  in  the  arts  ;  nearly  all  were  designed 
for  use  in  the  quiet  pursuits  of  peace,  while  those 
left  by  the  Indian  race  are  mostl}^  weapons  of  a 
warlike  people. 

The  existence  of  such  a  people  is  now  universally 
admitted  by  the  best  informed,  and  is  as  certain  as 
any  fact  transmitted  by  written  histor}^.  Written 
history  may  falsif}^,  but  the  mounds  made  b}'  human 
labor,  the  utensils  and  the  human  bones,  are  proofs 
that  can  not  be  questioned.  Who  they  were,  from 
whence  they  came,  and  where  the}'  went,  are  ques- 
tions that  open  a  wide  field  for  speculation.  Their 
works  are  here — works  involving  an  amount  of  labor 
that  could  only  have  been  done  b}"  united  thousands. 
A  mound  in  AVest  Yirginia  and  one  in  Ohio,  are  each 
seventy -live  feet  vertical  height,  with  a  base  of  several 
hundred  feet  in  extent.  Human  skeletons  rej)Ose  at 
the  base  and  centre  of  these  tumuli,  but  so  decayed 
that  they  crumble  to  their  mother  earth  when  exposed 
to  the  atmosphere.  A  few  skulls  and  parts  have 
been  preserved,  showing  a  long,  narrow  head  with  a 
retreating  forehead,  entirely  unlike  the  Indian  head, 
and  more  like  the  ancient  Egyptian. 

The  mounds  are  supposed  to  contain  the  remains 
of  their  great  men — the  size  of  the  mound  probably 
indicating  the  extent  of  that  greatness — while  the 
common  people,  receiving  onh' common  burial,  their 


Mound  Builders.  37 

remains   have  long   since   been    dispersed    by   the 
elements. 

From  the  state  of  decay  of  these  skeletons,  com- 
pared with  others  in  like  situations  in  Europe,  whose 
age  is  known,  it  is  supposed  they  all  have  an  age  of 
at  least  2,000  years,  and  that  the  last  of  the  race  left 
the  country  as  early  as  200  years  B.  C.  Their  works 
remaining  are  their  only  history.  They  exist  at 
Ottawa,  La  Salle,  Peru,  and  other  points  along 
the  Illinois  and  Fox,  and  always  on  a  commanding 
and  sightly  location,  in  ftincy  giving  tlie  spirits  of 
the  dead  a  view  of  the  scenery  they  doubtless  loved 
so  well  when  living.  These  mounds  often  contained 
Indian  remains,  as  the  Indians  used  them  for  burial 
places ;  but  such  remains  were  near  the  surface,  and 
the  Indians  knew  nothing  of  the  origin  or  history  of 
the  mounds. 

A  glance  at  the  history  of  the  pre-historic  races  of 
America,  elsewhere,  may  throw  some  light  on  the 
origin  and  final  histor}^  of  the  mound  builders. 
Although  the  history  of  the  ancient  peopling  of  the 
American  continent  has  been  handed  down  only  by 
tradition  and  corroborated  by  the  works  of  the 
ancient  inhabitants,  yet  it  has  a  history  of  deep  and 
absorbing  interest,  and  if  written  as  fully  as  that  of 
the  Eastern  continent  has  been,  it  would  doubtless 
startle  us  by  the  magnitude  and  iDOwer  of  the  nations 
which  rose  and  fell  unchronicled,  unhonored,  and 
unsung. 

The  Assyrian,  Persian,  Egyptian  and  Macedonian 
empires  might  find  their  counterpart  along  the  Ama- 
zon and  Mississippi,  at  the  feet  and  along  the  ele- 


38  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

vated  plateaus  of  tlie  Andes,  and  in  Central  America 
and  Mexico.  The  ruins  of  ancient  cities,  of  roads, 
aqueducts,  mounds,  and  other  relics  of  their  handi- 
work, tell  of  a  high  civilization,  of  a  wealth}',  ingen- 
ious and  powerful  peoj)le. 

The  empire  ruled  by  the  Incas  of  Peru,  when 
conquered  by  the  Spaniards,  had,  in  many  respects, 
a  higher  civilization  and  a  more  stable  civil  govern- 
ment than  has  since  been  achieved  by  their  conquer- 
ors. But  the  people  conquered  by  Pizarro  were 
inferior  to  their  predecessors,  as  is  shown  by  the 
stupendous  works  left  as  a  monument  of  their  jDower, 
industry  and  culture.  A  public  road,  built  on  a 
solid  foundation  of  masonr}^,  paved  with  hewn 
stone,  laid  in  cement,  and  guarded  by  walls  on  either 
side,  was  built  from  Quito  to  Chili,  along  the  Sierras, 
over  plains,  mountains,  and  rivers,  with  a  branch 
from  Cuzcotothe  sea,  and  thence  north  to  the  equa- 
tor. It  passed  over  deep  ravines  filled  with  the 
firmest  masonry,  dug  for  leagues  through  solid  rock, 
and  extended  a  distance  greater  than  the  length  of  the 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  more  diflicult  of  construction. 
The  great  traveler,  Humboldt,  says  of  this:  "Our 
e3"es  rested  continually  on  superb  remains  of  a  paved 
road  of  the  Incas  ;  the  roadway,  paved  with  well- 
cut  dark  porjDhj^ritic  stone,  was  twenty  feet  wide, 
and  rested  on  deep  foundations.  This  road  was 
marvellous.  None  of  the  Roman  roads  I  have 
seen  in  Ital}^  South  of  France,  or  Spain,  appeared 
to  me  more  imposing  than  this  work  of  the  ancient 
Peruvians." 

Aqueducts  for  conducting  water   to  their  cities, 


Mound  Builders.  39 

and  for  inigation^ — 150  miles  long,  and  one  said 
to  be  400 — made  of  hewn  stone  nicely  fitted  to- 
gether, and  laid  in  cement,  all  of  the  most  perfect 
and  durable  character,  many  of  which  are  now  in 
use,  were  left  b}^  that  people,  monuments  of  their 
genius,  skill  and  industry. 

The  Peruvians  manufactured  both  cotton  and 
woolen  fabrics  of  superior  quality,  cotton  being  in- 
digenous to  their  country,  and  wool  obtained  from 
the  llama.  Their  skill  in  dyeing  was  hardly  excelled 
by  the  Tyrians  themselves.  Gold,  silver,  and  copper 
vases,  and  statuary  in  immense  quantities,  showed 
their  skill  in  working  these  metals,  and  the  people 
that  preceded  those  ruled  by  the  Incas,  or  those  at 
an  earlier  period,  are  said  to  have  had  large  furnaces 
for  smelting  iron  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Titicaca, 
and  their  sculpture  of  the  hardest  stone  could  hardly 
have  been  accomplished  without  it,  and  the  name 
for  iron  in  their  ancient  language  is  conclusive  proof 
that  they  had  knowledge  of  that  metal. 

The  Spanish  buccaneers  and  pirates  who  con- 
quered these  people,  in  their  thirst  for  gold,  and  zeal 
for  a  fanatical  conception  of  religion,  crushed  out  a 
civilization  they  could  never  rival  nor  replace. 

Mexico  and  Central  America  furnish  equal  proofs 
of  an  ancient  civilization.  The  ruins  of  ancient  cities 
and  structures  of  great  extent  and  massive  grandeur, 
discovered  and  described  by  Catherwood,  Stevens, 
Squiers,  and  others,  and  which  are  doubtless  but  a 
tithe  of  the  like  which  lie  buried  beneath  the  trop- 
ical forests  and  wild  chaparral  of  that  moist  and 
heated  climate,  point,  unmistakably,  to  the  exist- 


40  History  of  La  Salle  Countif. 

ence  of  a  people  higlih'  skilled  in  arcliitectiire,  of 
great  industry,  and  superior  taste  ;  and  while  equal- 
ing the  Peruvians  in  the  construction  of  massive 
masonry,  the}'  were  far  superior  in  aesthetic  skill ; 
and  the  elaborate  ornamentation  shows  the  posses- 
sion of  great  wealth,  which  alone  could  enable 
any  people  to  devote  so  much  time  to  the  orna- 
mental. 

The  stones  composing  those  ruins  are  nicely  hewn, 
highly  ornamented  with  elaborate  carving,  laid  in 
mortar  of  lime  and  sand,  and  frequently  finished 
with  stucco,  of  as  fine  quality  and  workmanship 
as  modern  art  can  furnish. 

Letters  and  hierogh^phic  characters  frequentl}'  oc- 
cur, and  this  people  and  the  Peruvians  both  are  said 
to  have  had  a  written  language  and  books  of  history, 
which  the  Spaniards  very  carefully  destroyed,  (these 
books  were  rather  hierogl^'phical  than  alphabetical). 
The  little  which  remains  of  these  I'ecords  gives  but 
a  slight  clue  to  their  history,  but  with  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  people  open  a  faint  ray  of  light  through 
the  dark  vista  of  the  past.  They  had  considerable 
knowledge  of  astronomy,  and  divided  the  year  into 
eighteen  months  of  twenty  days  each ;  they  then 
added  five  days  at  the  end  of  the  3^ear,  and  one  more 
every  foui'th  or  bissextile  }^ear,  thus  chronicling  the 
time  as  accurately  as  the  Europeans. 

The  Aztecs,  who  were  in  possession  of  the  country 
at  the  time  of  the  invasion  by  the  Spaniards  under 
Cortes,  were  highly  civilized,  as  compared  with  the 
savage  tribes  by  whom  they  were  surrounded,  but 
they  were  not  the  builders  of  those  splendid  struc- 


Mound  Builders.  41 

tares  whose  ruins  lie  so  profusely  scattered  over 
their  country. 

Tradition  relates  that  at  an  early  date  a  savage 
people  occupied  the  cquntry,  called  Chi-Chimicks, 
who  lived  b}^  hunting  and  fishing,  and  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  arts,  and  are  supposed  to  have 
been  the  first  occupants  of  the  soil.  They  were  dis- 
placed by  the  Colhuans,  a  civilized  people,  said  to 
have  come  from  the  East  in  ships.  They  are  de- 
scribed as  the  lirst  people  who  established  the  arts 
of  civilization  and  built  cities.  They  taught  the 
Chi-Chimicks  to  cook  their  food  and  to  cultivate  the 
earth,  but  their  history  is  shrouded  in  the  uncer- 
tainty of  a  vague  and  dark  tradition.  These  were 
conquered  by  the  Toltecs,  another  civilized  people, 
who  are  said  to  have  come  by  successive  emigrations, 
from  the  Northeast,  both  by  land  and  by  sea.  They 
joined  with  the  wild  Chi-Chimicks  of  the  mountains, 
and  took  the  Colhuan  capital,  Vibalba.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  the  conquerors  and  the  conquered  mingled 
together  and  became  a  homogeneous  people,  and 
the  united  intelligence  and  skill  in  the  arts  of  the 
two  produced  that  perfected  civilization  which  has 
astonished  the  world,  even  with  the  ruins  of 
their  once  splendid  cities.  Uxmal  and  Palenqua 
will,  through  all  the  future,  testify  to  the  high  at- 
tainments of  the  race  that  reared  them.  The  Toltecs 
occupied  and  improved  the  cities  of  the  Colhuans. 
The  date  of  their  emigrations,  probably  the  com  - 
mencement,  as  a  populous  people  spread  over  a 
continent  are  not  displaced  in  a  day  or  century,  is 
about  1,000  years  before  the  Christian  era,  aud  they 

4 


42  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

were  overrun  by  the  Aztecs  about  two  centuries  be- 
fore the  Spanish  conquest,  or  about  A.  D.  1320,  so 
that  the  Toltecs  must  have  held  the  country  over 
2,000  years.  It  was  during,  that  time  tliat  the  cities 
of  Central  America  were  built,  and  the  Toltecs  were 
doubtless  the  builders. 

They  are  said  to  have  come  from  a  country  called 
Hua  HuaHapalan,  and  that  they  were  an  old  people, 
the  word  Hua  Hua  meaning  old,  Hapalan  being  the 
original  name.  The  direction  from  which  they 
came,  and  their  coming,  by  successive  emigrations, 
by  both  land  and  sea,  would  seem  to  point  signifi- 
cantly to  the  land  of  the  mound  builders,  and  to 
indicate  that  the  mound  builders  were  the  Toltecs 
of  Mexico. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  a  branch  of  the  Colhuan 
emigratioji  may  have  settled  in  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi,  at  the  same  time  that  the  other  branch 
occupied  Mexico,  and  were  the  progenitors  of  the 
mound  buildera;  or  the  mound  builders  may  have 
been  colonies  of  the  same  race,  after  they  had  be- 
come populous  in  their  Mexican  home,  and  when 
the  mother  country  began  to  wane,  their  extended 
colonies  very  naturally  sought  the  milder  climate, 
and  more  highly  improved  country,  at  the  centre  of 
American  civilization. 

And  as  Rome  left  more  ruins  of  her  temples  and 
cities  than  Gaul  or  Britain,  so  Central  America  and 
Mexico  contain  more  than  the  valley  of  the  Ohio 
or  Illinois. 

And  as  a  southern  and  hot  climate  is  never  as 
favorable  for  the  prodnction  of  men,  as  the  temper- 


Mound  Builders.  43 

ate  zone  ;  and  as  in  the  world's  history,  the  people  of 
a  southern  climate  have  ever  yielded,  in  a  contest,  to 
the  children  of  the  North,  so  the  Colhuans  of  Mexico 
fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  hardy  mound  builders  from 
this  great  Western  valley,  but  being  of  the  same  race, 
the}^  soon  became  one  people. 

A  brief  sketch  of  the  opinions  of  European  writers 
as  to  the  origin  of  the  ancient  American  civilization, 
may  here  claim  a  place. 

At  one  time  a  favorite  theorj'",  now  exploded,  was 
that  the  lost  ten  tribes  of  Israel  came  to  America, 
and  were  the  progenitors  of  all  the  peoples  here 
found. 

Another  was  the  Malay,  as  the  Malays  are  known 
to  have  peopled  most  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
and  their  language  forms  the  basis  of  nearly  all  the 
dialects  of  Polynesia ;  even  the  Sandwich  Islanders 
speak  a  dialect  of  that  language.  That  they  must 
have  reached  the  American  continent  is  quite  proba- 
ble, but  there  is  no  proof  that  they  ever  settled  here, 
nor  any  trace  of  their  language  among  all  the  tribes 
of  the  continent. 

There  is  more  plausibility  in  the  Phoenician  the- 
ory, for  the  ancient  history  of  the  Phoenicians, 
Egyptians  and  Greeks  speak  of  a  land  beyond  the 
pillars  of  Hercules  as  a  wonderful  land  and  occu- 
pied by  a  wonderful  people.  Vessels  were  said  to 
have  been  driven  by  stress  of  weather  till  they 
reached  the  shores  of  this  far-off  land.  Connected 
with  this  theory,  is  the  supposed  fable  of  the  lost 
Atlantis  ;  a  continent  was  said  to  have  occupied,  at 
an  early  date,  a  large  portion  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 


44  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

that  it  embraced  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  Caribbean 
Sea,  the  region  of  the  West  Indies,  and  extended  far 
toward  the  Coast  of  Africa,  embracing  the  Cape  de 
Yerde  and  Canary  IsLands  ;  that  those  islands  and 
the  West  Indies  were  the  highest  portion  of  the  con- 
tinent, while  all  the  lower  portion  was  snbmerged 
by  some  great  convulsion  ;  that  the  Atlantis  was 
occupied  by  a  numerous  and  highly  civilized  people ; 
a  portion  of  these  escaping  from  the  great  cataclysm 
reached  the  continent,  and  built  the  great  cities 
whose  ruins  have  created  such  surprise  and  wonder. 
The  story  of  the  lost  Atlantis  will  probably  never 
be  verified.  That  the  Phoenicians,  who  were  a  com- 
mercial and  adventurous  people,  may  have  reached 
the  Western  continent  is  quite  probable,  and  yet 
there  are  no  customs,  arts,  or  languages,  existing 
here,  which  can  be  traced  to  that  people,  which  would 
have  been  the  case  if  they  had  settled  in  any  con- 
siderable numbers.  These  theories  are  all  based  upon 
the  supposition  that  the  American  continent  could 
onl}^  be  inhabited  hj  savages,  unless  a  civilization 
was  imported  from  the  Eastern  continent.  There  can 
be  no  valid  reason  given  why  the  Western  continent 
may  not  have  originated  a  civilization  as  readily  as 
the  Eastern,  and  as  it  is  geologicall}^  older  than  the 
Eastern,  it  may  have  had  precedence  in  the  improve- 
ment of  man.  It  had  a  civilization,  and  this  West- 
ern valle}^  shared  in  its  benefits.  It  would  hardly 
be  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Mexico  should  be  occu- 
pied for  two  or  three  thousand  years  by  an  intelli- 
gent and  active  people,  and  they  never  visit  or  know 
of  the  immense  territory  northeast  of  them,  when 


Mound.  Bailders.  45 

there  was  no  natural  barrier  to  prevent  exploration  , 
or  emigration  ;  and  the  works  left,  telling  that  such 
a  people  existed,  are  continuous  from  Palenqua  to 
Lake  Superior,  and  so  uniform  in  structure  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  they  were  built  by  the  same  people. 
The  large  tumuli  have  a  uniform  shape  and  con- 
struction, the  only  difference  being  that  those  in 
the  mother  country  are  more  elaborate  and  per- 
fect. The  broad  and  less  elevated  of  these  works 
were  evidently  foundations  for  more  perfect  struc- 
tures. The  massive  ruins  of  Central  America  are  all 
built  on  elevated  plateaus  or  iiat  tumuli ;  and  there 
the  superstructures  were  built  of  stone,  and  con- 
sequently remain  ;  while  further  north,  in  a  heavy 
timbered  region,  they  were  probably  of  timber, 
liable  to  be  destroyed  by  fire  or  the  surer  anni- 
hilating inliuence  of  over  twenty  centuries  of  time. 
That  this  theory,  that  the  mound  builders  were  the 
Toltecs  of  Mexico,  is  but  a  theory,  is  true,  but  so 
plausible,  and  so  well  corroborated  by  all  the  cir- 
cumstances surrounding  it,  that  it  will  be  received 
and  believed  until  one  better  proved  shall  claim 
credence. 

There  are  convincing  indications  that  there  was  a 
close  relationship  and  connection  between  the  an- 
cient civilizations  through  the  length  of  the  Ameri- 
can continent.  The  mound  builders  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  the  Toltecs,  or  Colhuans,  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  and  the  ancient  civilized  races 
of  Peru,  were  doubtless  the  same,  or  a  closely  re- 
lated people.  The  author  received  from  Dr.  L.  IST. 
Dimmick,   formerly  of  Ottawa  now  of  Santa  Bar- 


46  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

bara.  California,  a  pliotograpli  of  a  specimen  of  an- 
cient x^otteiy.  dng  from  a  mound  on  tlie  south  bluff 
of  the  Illinois,  just  east  of  Ottawa  in  this  county, 
of  a  curious  formation,  and  showing  much  skill  in  its 
construction.  It  is  a  kind  of  quadruplicated  jug — 
four  small  jug-like  vessels,  all  connected  with  each 
other  at  the  base,  and  from  each  of  which,  as  from 
the  corner  of  a  square,  rises  a  tube,  uniting  in  one  at 
the  top,  like  the  spout  of  a  jug,  all  forming  one  ves- 
sel. It  is  composed  of  the  same  material  as  all  the 
pottery  found  in  these  mounds,  and  from  its  appear- 
ance was  not  burned  fike  modern  pottery.  It  differs 
from  the  modern  article  by  being  slightly  elastic, 
and  one  ingredient  in  its  composition  is  supposed  to 
be  pulverized  clam  shells.  This  potterj'  seems  to 
be  indestructible,  as  2,000  years  of  time  has  left  it 
apparently  as  perfect  as  when  first  made. 

Numerous  specimens  of  ancient  potter}^  from  the 
mounds  of  Peru  and  South  America  are  of  the  same 
form  and  material  as  the  one  above  described.  Such 
could  hardly  be  the  case,  unless  the  art  of  making 
them  was  derived  from  the  same  source. 

This  specimen  was  found  in  a  sepulchral  mound, 
and  its  peculiar  form  might  have  some  significance 
in  connection  with  the  religion  or  superstitions  of 
that  people.  They  are  supposed  to  have  been  sun 
worshipers,  but  their  distinctive  views  will  proba- 
bly never  be  fuWj  known,  3^et  much  in  that  direc- 
tion will  yet  be  developed,  as  we  doubtless  have  the 
relics  of  their  works  scattered  over  thousands  of 
miles  in  extent,  from  which  to  glean  the  mementos 
that  tell  what,   and  who  they  were.     The  last  few 


Mound  Builders.  47 


years  have  developed  important  facts  in  relation  to 
this  ancient  people,  and  we  can  hardly  estimate  what 
lies  in  the  future.  Pre-eminent  among  those  who 
have  devoted  years  to  the  investigation  of  these 
relics  of  the  past,  is  Frederick  S.  Perkins,  of  Wis- 
consin, who,  by  indefatigable  effort,  has  collected 
600  stone  rollers,  pestles,  awls,  pikes,  etc,  ;  8,000 
spear,  lance,  and  arrow-heads ;  and  of  copper, 
sixty-eight  spears  or  dirk  heads,  nine  with  shanks, 
fifteen  with  fiat  shanks  ;  ten  knives,  fifteen  chisels, 
five  augers,  two  gads,  one  drill,  etc.  ;  altogether  9,000 
articles,  of  the  pre-historic  age.  His  collection  of 
copper  implements  probably  exceeds  any,  if  not  all 
others.  They  were  mostly  turned  up  by  the  plow, 
and  some  imbedded  several  feet  in  the  clay. 

Through  the  extent  of  this  great  Western  valley 
the  soil  will  for  ages  continue  to  yield  up  rich  relics 
of  a  great  and  numerous  people,  whose  day  is  sep- 
arated from  ours  by  more  than  twenty  centuries. 

There  is  no  proof  that  the  mound  builders  culti- 
vated the  prairies  to  any  extent ;  their  works 
are  mostly  on  the  bluffs  bordering  the  large  streams, 
and  near  or  on  the  large  and  fertile  bottoms,  which 
they  doubtless  cultivated.  Maize  was  their  princi- 
pal production,  and  those  bottoms  were  the  natural 
habitat  of  that  cereal,  and  as  they  apparently  had 
no  beasts  of  burden,  it  was  easier  to  cultivate  by 
hand  than  the  tough  sod  of  the  prairie,  if  the  prai- 
rie then  existed,  and  there  is  no  doubt  it  did. 

A  small  area  of  rich  land,  well  cultivated,  will 
produce  Indian  corn  sufficient  to  feed  a  large  popu- 
lation.    One-fourth  of  a  bushel  per  week  was  said  to 


48  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

have  been  the  ration  allowed  slaves  on  the  Sonthern 
plantations,  abont  thirteen  bnshels  per  annum  ;  100 
acres,  at  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  would  sustain  384 
people  one  year— a  very  much  larger  number  tlian 
the  same  amount  will  sustain  when  converted  into 
beef  or  pork. 

Their  garden  beds,  so  common  and  so  well  pre- 
served, were  on  the  second  or  high  bottom,  or  on 
timber  land  or  barrens,  mostly,  and  from  their  form, 
were  evidently  cultivated  by  hand.  Thus  having 
no  beasts  of  burden,  and  probably  feeding  none  for 
food,  and  if,  being  wiser  than  tiieir  successors,  they 
converted  none  into  whisky  or  modern  corn-juice, 
they  could  easily  sustain  a  population  that  the  pres- 
ent occupants  of  the  valley  have  not,  and  for  a  cen- 
tury to  come,  can  not,  equal. 

We  read  of  the  ancient  peoples  of  the  Eastern  con- 
tinent, of  their  countless  number,  of  their  wars,  con- 
quests, and  revolutions,  of  race  succeeding  race, 
with  awe  and  wonder.  We  look  with  little  less 
than  reverence  on  rusted  coins  from  Athens  or 
Rome,  a  piece  of  stone  from  the  ruins  of  Babylon, 
Tadmor,  Balbec,  or  Palmyra,  while  we  pass  almost 
unnoticed  these  works  of  a  people,  probably  as 
numerous,  as  ancient,  and  as  intelligent  as  were 
the  hordes  that  followed  Sesostris,  Sardanapalus,  or 
Alexander. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  of  these  mementos  of 
a  numerous  and  ancient  people  may  be  carefully 
and  sacredly  preserved,  and  that  the  reverence  for 
the  antiquities  of  the  Orient  may  be  equaled  by  a 
corresponding  respect  for  those  of  the  Occident. 


French  Evploratlons  and  Discoveries.        49 


FRENCH    EXPLORATIONS    AND     DISCOV- 
ERIES. 

The  Spaniards  first  discovered  the  Mississippi. 
De  Soto,  a  Spanish  adventurer,  was  the  discoverer 
and  the  first  to  cross  its  turbulent  and  rapid  current, 
and  died  upon  the  margin  of  the  Lower  Mississippi 
in  1542.  His  discoveries  were  not  utilized,  and  were 
nearly  forgotten.  About  a  century  elapsed  before 
a  French  explorer  reached  a  northern  tributar}^  of 
that  stream. 

Jacques  Cartier,  a  French  navigator,  in  1534,  dis- 
covered the  St.  Lawrence,  and  took  possession  of  the 
country  for  the  French  king.  Champlain  soon  fol- 
lowed, and  extended  the  French  title,  and  coloniza- 
tion commenced. 

The  settlements  were  both  religious  and  military  ; 
the   Recollets  and  Jesuits,  religious   orders  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  represented  the  religious  element, 
and  with  a  zeal  and  self-sacrifice  worth}^  any  cause, 
those  hardy  and  devoted  missionaries  penetrated  an 
unbroken  wilderness  thousands  of  miles  in  extent, 
cut  loose  from  all  the  comforts  of  civilization,  and 
braved  every  fatigue,  and  danger,  and  death  itself,  to 
carry  the  news  of  the  cross  to  the  rude  tribes  of  the 
western  wilds.     Like  their  Protestant  brethren  they 
wished  the  salvation  of  souls,  but  preferred  that  it 
should  come  through  the  efforts  of  their  own  order 
— and  jealousies  and  rivalries  existed  from  the  first 
between  the  Jesuits  and  Franciscans,  but  they  both 
labored   zealously,    and  were  capriciously  aided  or 
opposed  by  the  civil  and  military  liead  of  the  French 
possessions. 


50  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

They  had  labored  diligently  and  with  some  success 
for  several  years  among  the  Canadian  tribes,  when 
the  great  Iroquois  war  destroyed  or  scattered  their 
converts;  but  still  undiscouraged.they  turned  further 
west  for  souls  to  save.  They  followed  the  great 
lakes  and  established  two  principal  missions,  one  at 
Saint  Maria  du  Saut  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  the  other  at  La  Pointe,  called  Point  De  Esprit, 
near  the  west  end  of  the  same  lake.  Thither  came 
the  Illinois,  Pottawatomies,  Foxes,  Sioux  and  other 
western  tribes,  yearly,  to  trade  with  the  French. 
A  young  Jesuit,  Jacques  Marquette,  who  came  to 
the  upper  lakes  in  166S,  heard  from  the  Illinois 
Indians  at  their  visits  at  La  Pointe,  of  the  great  river 
of  the  West,  and  after  the  tribes  residing  near  La 
Pointe  had  been  dispersed  by  an  attack  of  the  Sioux, 
the  Iroquois  of  the  West,  he  removed  his  mission  to 
Mackinaw,  and  from  there  in  1773,  in  comj)any  with 
Louis  Joliet,  appointed  by  the  French  Governor  for 
that  purpose,  started  to  explore  the  great  river  of 
which  they  had  heard  so  much.  On  the  17th  of 
June  they  reached  the  Mississippi  where  Prairie  du 
Chien  now  is  ;  they  floated  down  that  river,  stopping 
occasionally  to  confer  with  the  Indians,  till  they 
reached  tlie  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  and  then  re- 
turned by  the  wa^^  of  the  Illinois  river  to  Canada. 
The  party  of  Marquette  and  Joliet  were  the  first 
discoverers  of  La  Salle  County,  and  the  first  white 
men  that  ever  passed  through  it.  This  was  in 
September,  1773,  tradition  says  on  the  16th  of  that 
month. 

The  first  settlement  within  tlie  county  was  made 


Frencft  Explorations  and  Discoxieries.        51 

by  Robert  Cavalier,  known  as  Louis  De  La  Salle. 
La  Salle  was  born  at  Rouen,  France,  in  1643,  was 
educated  for  a  Jesuit  priest  but  abandoned  that  call- 
ing for  tlie  more  arduous  life  of  a  military  explorer. 
Many  of  the  French  emigrants  at  that  time  were 
persons  of  distinction.  The  Abbe  Fenelon,  a  mis- 
sionary at  Q'dinte,  on  Lake  Ontario,  was  a  brother  of 
the  celebrated  Fenelon,  Bishop  of  Cambray  ;  Dollin 
DeCasson  had  been  a  General  of  Cavalry  under  the 
great  Turene  ;  and  La  Salle  was  not  behind  his  asso- 
ciates in  talents  or  prestige.  It  seems  that  some  of 
the  best  talent  of  France  had  been  attracted  to  this 
wide  field  of  enterprise,  the  American  Arcadia,  as  it 
was  then  called. 

In  1669,  La  Salle  projected  the  exploration  of  the 
great  river  of  the  West  and  was  persuaded  to  unite 
with  an  expedition  sent  out  by  the  Jesuits,  and  La 
Salle,  whose  feelings  toward  the  Jesuits  seem  not  to 
have  been  cordial,  b}^  a  ruse  separated  from  them 
when  on  Lake  Erie.  The  Jesuits  wintered  on  the 
west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  in  the  spring  went  north  and 
explored  the  upper  lakes,  and  returning  to  Montreal, 
made  the  first  map  of  the  country. 

La  Salle  went  south,  discovering  the  Ohio,  and  fol- 
lowed it  to  the  falls,  where  Louisville  now  is. 

Count  Frontenac,  the  able  governor  of  Canada, 
aided  La  Salle  in  building  a  fort,  wdiere  Kingston 
now  stands,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario,  which 
La  Salle  named  Fort  Frontenac,  and  made  a  treaty 
with  the  much  dreaded  Iroquois,  preparatory  to 
further  explorations. 

La  Salle  at  this  time  doubtless  entertained  an  am- 


52  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


bition  of  no  ordinary  standard.  To  control  the  wealth 
of  the  fur  trade  ;  to  establish  a  chain  of  posts  by  the 
lakes  and  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf,  and  another  by  the 
way  of  the  Ohio;  to  circumscribe  the  English  colonies 
on  the  Atlantic,  and  hold  in  check  the  Spaniards  on 
the  south,  while  a  central  French  empire  should  rise 
in  the  great  Valley  of  the  West,  vieing  with  the  most 
noted  of  ancient  or  modern  times,  was  a  dream 
worthy  the  genius  of  a  Csesar  or  Napoleon,  and 
must  have  fired  the  youthful  mind  of  La  Salle  with 
a  frenzy  for  ambitious  achievement.  In  1674  La 
Salle  went  to  France,  strongly  endorsed  and  recom- 
mended to  the  King  by  Count  Frontenac.  He  was 
well  received,  granted  a  patent  of  nobility,  and 
grant  of  Fort  Frontenac  and  territory  around  it — re- 
turning, he  spent  two  3  ears  in  rebuilding  and 
strengthening  the  fort,  making  it  a  proper  base  for 
future  operations,  a  fulcrum  for  bolder  or  broader 
action. 

In  1677  he  again  sailed  for  France,  and  in  spite  of 
strong  opposition,  accomplished  his  object,  being  em- 
powered to  continue  his  discoveries,  to  build  forts, 
and  to  occupy,  on  the  same  terms  he  did  Fort  Fron- 
tenac. With  thirty  followers  he  returned  to  Canada 
in  1778.  One  of  his  party  was  Henri  de  Tonti,  an 
Italian  officer  who  had  lost  a  hand  in  the  Sicilian 
wars.  Tonti  proved  an  able,  trustworthy,  and  most 
valuable  assistant  to  La  Salle.  Arrived  at  Frontenac 
he  soon  organized  his  expedition  ;  with  a  small  ves- 
sel his  company  reached  Niagara  the  last  of  No- 
vember, but  the  vessel  was  wrecked,  and  most  of  the 
stores  lost.     A  fort  was  built  at  Niagara,  and  the 


French  Explorations  and  Discoveries.        53 


winter  spent  in  bnilding  tlie  vessel,  called  the  Griffin, 
at  a  point  above  the  Niagara  rapids,  supposed  to  be 
Cayuga  Creek. 

In  the  summer  of  1679  La  Salle  and  his  party  in  the 
Griffin,  a  vessel  of  forty  tons,  set  sail  on  the  virgin 
waters  of  Lake  Erie,  the  first  vessel  that«  ever 
floated  on  its  bosom.  They  followed  the  chain  of 
lakes  to  Green  Bay,  where  a  party  that  had  preceded 
him  had  collected  a  load  of  furs,  with  which  the 
Griffin  was  loaded  and  sent  back  to  appease  his 
creditors.  They  coasted  around  the  south  end  of 
Lake  Michigan  to  the  St.  Joseph,  ascended  that 
river  to  South  Bend,  carried  their  canoes  to  the  Kan- 
kakee, floated  down  that  stream  and  the  Illinois 
to  what  is  now  La  Salle  County,  December,  1679, 
explored  the  site  of  the  great  town  of  the  Illinois, 
near  the  present  town  of  Utica,  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1680;  established  friendly  relations  with  the 
natives  ;  passed  on  to  where  Peoria  now  is,  and  built 
a  fort  called  Fort  Creveceur.  Left  Father  Hennepin 
to  explore  the  Illinois  to  its  mouth,  and  to  ascend 
the  Mississippi.  Left  Tonti  in  command  of  Fort 
Creveceur,  now  Peoria,  and  returned  to  Fort  Fron- 
tenac. 

On  his  way  up  the  Illinois  he  surveyed  the  cliff 
called  Starved  Rock,  and  sent  orders  back  to  Tonti 
to  fortif}^  it,  but  being  deserted  by  his  men  and 
having  but  two  companions,  he  was  unable  to  exe- 
cute the  order,  and  was  compelled  to  accept  the 
hospitality  of  the  Illinois  Indians  at  their  great 
town  called  by  the  French  La  Vanta  ;  was  there  at 
the  attack  by  the  Iroquois,  when  the  Illinois  were 


54  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

defeated  and  the  town  devastated.  Tonti  returned 
to  Green  Bay,  and  there  met  Hennepin  returning 
from  the  Upper  Mississippi.  On  La  Salle's  arrival 
at  Niagara  he  was  satisfied  the  Griffin  was  lost,  and 
also  heard  of  the  loss  of  a  transport  with  supplies 
from  France.  Still  undismayed,  he  gathered  his 
resources,  and  on  December  21,  1681,  started  from 
Fort  Miami,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph,  and  by 
the  way  of  Chicago  river,  the  Desplaines  and  Illi- 
nois, he  descended  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth  and 
took  formal  possession,  for  the  King  of  France, 
of  the  country  watered  by  the  MississijDpi  and  its 
branches,  of  the  extent  of  which  thej^  then  had  no 
adequate  conception. 

La  Salle  resolved  to  make  a  permanent  settlement 
on  the  head  waters  of  the  Illinois  ;  to  gather  the 
different  tribes  about  him,  making  it  the  centre  of 
the  fur  trade  ;  and  then,  with  aid  from  France,  to 
build  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  placing 
the  interior  of  *lie  continent  under  his  control.  The 
resolve  was  wortliy  the  genius  of  La  Salle.  With 
his  party  he  returned  up  the  Mississippi,  being  de- 
tained at  the  Chicasaw  bluffs  by  sickness,  and  on 
his  recovery  continued  his  journey. 

On  his  return  from  this  journej^,  in  December, 
1682,  La  Salle  and  Tonti  commenced  an  intrench- 
ment  and  palisade  fort,  named  Fort  St.  Louis,  on 
the  cliff  now  called  Starved  Rock,  and  it  was  soon 
after  occupied  by  a  French  garrison,  with  Tonti 
In  command. 

La  Salle  estimated  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of 
this  fort  at  about  4,000  warriors,  or  20,000  souls; 


• 

French  Explorations  and  Discoveries.        55 

but  this  was  probably  only  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  as  this  nomadic  people  go  and  come  as  the 
fish,  game  and  wild  frnits  may  serve. 

La  Salle  designed  tliis  fort  as  the  nncleus  of  a 
permanent  settlement,  and  it  was  continuously  occu- 
pied by  the  French  till  after  the  year  1700,  and 
occasionally  till  1720. 

The  outline  of  another  fort  or  outwork  is  plainly 
seen  on  the  bluff,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  Fort 
St.  Louis,  and  near  the  edge  of  the  prairie. 

This  settlement  was  the  first  made  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  and  La  Salle  County  has  the  honor  of 
being  selected  as  the  most  important  and  command- 
ing point  in  the  great  West. 

In  the  meantime,  Count  Frontenac  had  been  re- 
called, and  La  Barre  represented  the  French  king 
at  Quebec.  La  Barre  was  an  enemy  of  La  Salle.  He 
took  possession  of  Fort  Frontenac,  and  sent  an 
officer.  Chevalier  De  Baugis,  to  take  possession  of 
Fort  St.  Louis  ;  but  Tonti  and  Baugis  wisely  agreed 
that  while  one  represented  the  interests  of  La  Salle, 
the  other  should  see  to  the  rights  of  the  Government 
at  Quebec,  and  they  together  jointly  commanded 
the  colonj^ 

In  the  following  March,  16S1,  they  were  attacked 
by  600  Iroquois,  who  besieged  the  fort  for  several 
days,  but  were  beaten  off  with  severe  loss. 

La  Salle  sailed  for  France  late  in  the  fall  of  1683. 
The  brilliant  scheme  of  La  Salle  found  favor  at  the 
French  court.  La  Forest,  La  Salle's  lieutenant, 
ejected  from  Frontenac  by  La  Barre,  was  sent  back 
to  take  possession,  in  La  Salle' s  name,  of  that  post, 
and  also  of  Fort  St.  Louis. 


66  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

La  Salle  asked  for  two  vessels  with  wliich  to  make 
Ills  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississij)pi,  and 
four  were  given  him — one  vessel  carried  thirty-six 
guns,  another  six.  But  the  expedition  was  an  ill- 
starred  one.  In  an  evil  hour,  Beaugeu,  a  naval  cap- 
tain, was  appointed  to  command  the  expedition. 

He  quarreled  with  La  Salle.  One  vessel  was  taken 
by  the  Spaniards,  one  was  wrecked — the}"  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  landed  too  far  west. 
Beaugeu,  after  landing  La  Salle  and  a  part  of  his 
stores,  left  him  to  his  fate,  and  sailed  for  France. 
After  erecting  a  fort,  exploring  the  country,  and 
having  frequent  contests  with  the  Indians,  La  Salle, 
with  a  small  party,  started  for  Canada,  through  a 
wilderness  of  3,000  miles  in  extent.  After  days  of 
weary  marching,  his  party  reached  the  vicinity  of 
Arkansas  Post,  where  the  untiring  explorer,  the 
heroic  leader,  the  man  of  indomitable  courage,  nerve, 
and  pluck,  was  basely  murdered  by  his  men  ;  they 
shot  him  through  the  head,  di-agged  him  among  the 
bushes,  stripped  him  of  his  clothing,  and  left  him 
unburied,  a  prey  to  buzzards  and  w^olves.  Thus  fell 
Robert  Cavalier  De  La  Salle.  Says  Tonti — ''One 
of  the  greatest  men  of  his  age,"  and  Tonti  knew 
him  \vell. 

His  plans  were  magnificent,  his  ambition  un- 
bounded, and  his  phj'sical  powers,  zeal,  and  energy 
equal  to  either.  But  he  was  imperious,  stern,  un- 
yielding and  tyrannical,  and  to  these  traits  of  char- 
acter he  owed  most  of  his  misfortunes ;  and  he  loas 
unfortunate  in  nearly  all  his  undertakings — he  could 
inspire  respect  and  fear,  but  not  affection,  except 


Indian  History.  57 


from  those  capable  of  appreciating  tlie  grandeur  and 
lofty  bearing  of  his  character. 

He  demanded  every  sacrifice  from  his  men,  but 
himself  led  the  way  in  every  labor  and  every  dan- 
ger. The  West — the  Continent — owes  him  a  debt 
of  gratitude.  Our  count}^  has  no  ignoble  title,  and 
it  ma}^  well  honor  the  hero  whose  name  it  bears. 
The  Indians  and  Spaniards  soon  destroyed  the  infant 
colony  on  the  gulf,  and  thus  ends  the  wild  and  tragic 
tale  of  the  explorers  of  the  Mississippi.  Where 
La  Salle  had  plowed,  others  have  sown  the  seed, 
and  the  dreams  of  La  Salle  were  realized  in  the 
establishment  for  France  of  a  vast,  but  transient 
dominion. 


INDIAN"  HISTORY. 

The  origin  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  North  America 
is  a  matter  mostly  of  conjecture.  Their  arrival  here 
is  generally  supposed  to  be  comparati\^ly  of  modern 
date,  and  the  Indians  have  traditions  corroborating 
such  an  opinion.  The  Iroquois  nation  is  suj)posed 
to  have  preceded  the  Algonquins,  and  occupied  the 
country  from  Lake  Huron  south  through  Ohio,  New 
York,  Penns3dvania,  to  North  Carolina.  The  Al- 
gonquins came  in  at  a  later  date  and  occupied  all 
New  England  and  Canada,  to  the  country  of  the 
Esquimaux  on  the  north,  and  embraced  the  Otta- 
was  or  Algonquins  proper,  Chippewas,  Menimonees, 
Pottawatomies,  Miamis,  Sacs,  Foxes,  Kickapoos, 
Illinois,  and  the  Powhattan  tribes  in  Virginia,  nearly 
surrounding  the  older  Iroquois. 

5 


58  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


The  traditions  of  both  these  great  families  of  the 
red  man  say  they  came  from  the  west  and  north- 
west, and  the  Dakotas  were  called  the  men  of  the 
salt  water,  and  the  generally  received  opinion  that 
they  came  from  Asia,  may  or  may  not  be  true.  All 
the  large  number  of  tribes  of  the  Algoncxuin  race 
were  manifestly  from  a  common  origin,  shown  by  a 
general  resemblance  of  complexion,  features  and 
language. 

The  occupancy  of  the  country  hj  the  Indians  is 
supposed  to  have  been  several  centuries  after  its 
abandonment  by  the  mound  builders. 

ILLIN^OIS. 

The  mini  or  Illinois  confederation  of  Indians,  from 
whom  the  name  of  our  State  and  river  is  derived, 
which  name  means  real  or  superior  men,  consisted 
of  five  tribes — Peorias,  Moingwenas,  Kaskaskias, 
Tamaroas,  and  Cahokias. 

Marquette  sa}' s  he  found  Peorias  and  Moingwenas 
in  three  towns  west  of  the  Mississippi  near  the  Des 
Moines,  and  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias  on  the  Upper 
Illinois.  The  Tamaroas  were  on  the  Mississii^pi  and 
a  tribe  called  the  Michigamis,  who  seem  to  have 
been  really  Quapaws,  also  belonged  to  the  confed- 
eracy. The  Illinois  occupied  most  of  what  is  now 
the  State  of  Illinois,  were  numerous  and  brave,  ex- 
pert bowmen,  but  not  canoemen. 

The}'  moved  otf  to  the  plains  bej'ond  the  Missis- 
sippi for  a  short  summer  hunt,  and  for  a  winter  hunt 
of  four  or  five  months ;  then  gathered  in  towns  of 
arbor-like   cabins   covered  with  water-proof  mats, 


Indian  History.  59 


with  geiierall}"  four  fires  to  a  cabin,  and  two  families 
to  a  fire.  Allouis,  Membre,  and  other  missionaries, 
found  the  chief  Illinois  towns  on  the  bottom  below 
Utica,  containing  from  300  to  400  cabins  and  8,00-0 
2:)eople.  At  an  early  day  the  Illinois  drove  the  Qua- 
paws,  a  Dakota  tribe  which  the}^  styled  Arkansas, 
from  the  Ohio  to  the  southern  Mississippi.  About 
1640  they  nearly  exterminated  the  Winnebagoes. 
They  were  badl}"  defeated  by  the  Iroquois  in  1679, 
shortly  after  La  Salle  reached  there,  and  in  the  war 
lost  300  to  400  killed  and  900  prisoners.  But  they 
recovered  partially,  and  aided  the  French  against  the 
Iroquois  in  the  expeditions  of  De  La  Barre  and 
Denonville.  They  were  converted  by  the  French  mis- 
sionaries, and  are  said  to  have  been  much  improved. 

In  1700,  Chicago,  their  great  chief,  visited  France 
and  was  highly  esteemed.  His  son,  of  the  same 
name,  retained  the  great  influence  of  his  father  till 
his  death  in  1754.  In  1700  the  Kaskaskias  removed 
from  the  Upper  Illinois  to  the  place  that  now  bears 
their  name.  The  Illinois  were  continually  at  war 
with  the  Foxes  from  1712,  and  suffered  severely.  It 
is  said  i\\^j  furnished  forces  in  aid  of  the  French 
commander  Villiers  against  the  frontier  settlements 
of  Virginia,  and  captured  a  small  fort  in  1756. 

They  took  no  part  in  Pontiac's  war,  but  when  that 
chieftain  was  killed  in  one  of  the  towns  near  where 
St.  Louis  now  is,  the  Foxes  resumed  the  war  and 
were  joined  by  the  neighboring  tribes  who  made  a 
common  cause  against  the  fading  Illinois.  It  was 
in  this  war  that  a  defeated  party  of  the  Illinois  were 
driven  on  to  the  site  of  Fort  St.  Louis  and  starved 


60  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

to  submission,  thus  naming  the  cliff.  The  Illinois 
had  for  years  been  holding  the  Illinois  river  as  a  line 
of  defense  against  the  northern  Indians,  and  had  a 
chain  of  posts  or  fortifications  for  defending  that  line; 
one  at  Marseilles,  opposite  the  rapids,  one  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kanhakee,  and  one  above  Joliet ;  the 
remains  of  that  at  Marseilles  can  still  be  seen.  The 
extermination  of  the  war  party  at  Starved  Rock  is 
supposed  to  have  been  the  last  stand  made  by  the 
Illinois  on  that  line  of  defense.  They  abandoned 
theii'  former  homes  to  their  northern  foes  and  re- 
treated south. 

They  joined  the  Miamis  in  the  war  with  the  United 
States,  and  with  their  allies  suffered  a  defeat  by 
the  forces  under  General  Wayne  in  August,  1794. 
General  Wayne,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Illinois,  Aug.  3rd,  1795, 
giving  them  an  annuity  of  $500  annuall}^,  and  Con- 
gress had  previously,  by  Act  of  March  3rd,  1791, 
secured  350  acres  of  land  to  the  Kaskaskias,  with  the 
privilege  of  selecting  1,280  more. 

General  Harrison,  in  1803,  negotiated  a  treaty  at 
Yincennes,  in  which  their  decline  is  recited  and  an 
annuity  of  81,000  given,  and  an  agreement  to  build 
a  church  and  maintain  a  priest.  The  Peorias  were 
not  a  party  to  this  treaty,  but  joined  in  that  at  Ed- 
wardsville  in  1818,  Sept.  25th,  by  which  the  Illinois 
ceded  all  their  land  in  the  State  for  $2,000  in  goods 
and  twelve  years  annuity  of  $300  per  year.  In 
1832  they  ceded  their  reservation  and  removed 
further  west,  receiving  a  large  tract  and  cash  to  erect 
buildings  and  purchase  agricultural  implements. 


Indian  History.  61 


In  1854  they  were  so  reduced  in  numbers  that  thej^ 
were  confederated  with  the  Weas  and  Pinkeshaws. 
They  were  located  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
State  of  Kansas,  where  they  remained  till  1867,  when 
they  were  again  removed  and  placed  southwest  of  the 
Quapaws,  onareservationofT2, 000  acres.  They  had 
dwindled  in  1872  to  fort}'  souls.  The  combined 
tribes  of  Weas,  Pinkeshaws,  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias 
numbered  160. 

Such  is  the  brief  record  of  the  once  brave  and  power- 
ful nation  of  the  Illini,  and  such  the  sad  fate  of  the 
red  man  when  confronted  with  a  civilized  people. 
Two  hundred  years  ago  they  made  the  present 
county  of  La  Salle  their  favorite  home,  and  probably 
the  seat  of  the  central  power  of  that  confederacy, 
a  great  and  numerous  people.  Here  were  the  scenes 
of  their  joys  and  sorrows,  for  the  savage  breast 
throbs  with  as  strong  emotion  as  that  of  his  pale- 
faced  brother  ;  here  he  hunted  the  buffalo  and  deer, 
and  took  his  favorite  lisli  -  from  the  rapids  of  the 
stream.  The  feathered  game  spread  over  the  prairies 
and  covered  the  streams.  Marquette  saj'S,  "No- 
where else  in  all  ni}"  wanderings  have  I  seen  such 
herds  of  buffalo  and  deer,  such  flocks  of  turkeys, 
ducks,  geese,  and  grouse,  beaver  and  other  game,  as 
along  the  Illinois."'  It  must  have  been  the  paradise 
of  the  hunter,  the  Eden  of  savage  life  ;  a  good  reason 
why  the  waning  power  of  the  Illini  so  long  waged 
a  cruel  and  relentless  war  for  its  possession. 


For  here  were  the  graves  of  his  kindred  and  the 
scenes  of  his  fondest  recollections.  Here  he  returned 
from  the  excitement  of  the  chase  to  feast  with  his 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


tribe  on  the  dainties  liis  location  fnrnished  so  abun- 
dantly. Here  he  lield  his  war  dance  before  he  went 
out  to  meet  the  foe,  and  here  he  returned  with  the 
scalps  of  his  victims  dangling  at  his  belt,  the  proud 
but  cruel  trophies  of  his  prowess.  Here  the  Indian 
boys  and  girls  gamboled  through  their  youthful 
years,  and  listened  to  the  thrilling  legends  of  war 
and  the  chase  as  told  by  the  braves  of  the  tribe. 

Here,  as  the  setting  sun  cast  its  rays  along  the 
placid  bosom  of  the  Hlinois,  and  the  soft  southern 
breeze  rippled  its  surface,  the  swarthy  young  war- 
rior, beneath  the  shade  of  the  majestic  elms,  whis- 
pered soft  words  in  the  ear  of  the  dark-eyed  maiden 
— for  love,  as  well  with  the  savage  as  civilized,  is 
the  romance  of  life — the  oft-told  tale,  over  which 
none  are  so  old  but  they  delight  to  linger. 

The  daily  excitement  of  the  chase,  roaming  free 
over  the  broad  expanse,  ever  alive  to  the  beauties 
and  wonders  which  surround  him — in  these  is  a  fund 
of  enjoyment  keenly  relished  by  the  savage.  In 
fact,  civilized  man  is  ever  enamored  of  it,  and  the 
most  intelligent  and  refined  embrace  every  opportu- 
nity to  escape  from  the  restraints  and  artificial  con- 
ventionalities of  civilized  life,  and  disport  among 
the  wild  scenes  of  uncultivated  nature.  The  young 
savage,  brought  within  the  influence  of  civilization, 
placed  in  the  halls  of  learning,  ever  yearns  for 
the  freedom  of  his  native  haunts. 

The  Sacs,  Foxes,  Kickapoos  and  Pottawatomies 
were  the  principal  tribes  that  benefited  by  the 
decadence  of  the  Illinois.  Whether  they  were 
actuated   simply   by   a   desire  for    possessing    the 


Indian  History.  63 


much-coveted  home  of  the  Illinois,  or  some  other 
passion  impelled  them  to  combine  against  their  un- 
fortunate neighbors,  is  unknown.  Some  say  the 
Illinois  had  become  a  drunken  rabble,  and  excited 
the  contempt  of  tlie  surrounding  tribes  ;  others  say 
their  arrogance  and  domineering  conduct  when  at 
the  height  of  their  power,  kept  in  remembrance  by 
the  desire  for  revenge,  which  with  an  Indian  never 
dies,  caused  the  combination  of  those  neighbors  for 
their  destruction  as  soon  as  the  weakening  power  of 
the  Illinois  made  their  opportunity. 

POTTAWATOMIES. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
Pottawatomies  occupied  the  southern  peninsula  of 
Michigan,  and  were  hunters  and  fishers,  and  culti- 
vated a  little  maize.  The  Iroquois  drove  them 
west,  when  they  settled  about  Green  Bay,  and 
gradually  spread  over  Northern  Illinois  and  Indi- 
ana and  Southwestern  Michigan  ;  a  mission  on  the 
St.  Joseph  being  a  central  point.  Like  most  of 
the  Algonquins,  they  took  part  with  the  French 
against  the  English  and  the  colonies,  and  were 
hostile  to  the  Americans  during  the  Revolution  and 
subsequently ;  but  after  Wayne's  defeat  of  the 
Northwestern  Indians,  joined  in  the  treaty  of  Green- 
ville in  1795. 

There  were  the  Wabash  and  Huron  bands,  and  a 
scattered  population  called  the  Pottawatomies  of 
the  Prairies,  who  were  a  mixture  of  many  Algon- 
quin tribes.  From  1803  to  1809,  the  various  bands 
sold  to  the  Government,  land  claimed  by  them,  and 


64  ■      History  of  La  Salle  County. 

received  money  and  annuities.  Under  the  influence 
of  Tecumseh,  tliey  joined  tlie  English  in  1S12,  and 
massacred  the  garrison  at  Chicago.  New  treaties 
were  made  in  1815  and  later,  by  which  most  of  their 
lands  were  conveyed  to  the  Government.  In  1835-37, 
they  were  removed  on  to  reservations  on  the  Mis- 
souri. The  St.  Joseph,  Wabash  and  Huron  bands 
had  made  some  progress  in  civilization,  and  were 
Catholics;  while  the  Pottawatomies  of  the  Prairies 
were  still  roving  and  pagan.  In  1874,  the  prairie 
band  still  in  charge  of  the  Government  numbered 
467,  on  a  reservation  of  17,000  acres,  in  Jackson 
County,  Kansas,  under  the  control  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  who  had  established  schools  and  rej)orted 
some  progress. 

Shabona  was  a  peace-chief  of  the  Pottawatomies, 
and  with  his  tribe  was  friendly  to  our  people  after 
the  defeat  of  the  British  and  Indians  at  the  battle 
of  the  Thames,  in  1814. 

SACS    AXD    POXES. 

The  Sacs,  or  Sauks,  and  Foxes — two  allied  tribes, 
were  also  driven  b}'  the  Iroquois  from  east  of  De- 
troit, first  to  Saginaw  and  then  to  the  vicinity  of 
Green  Bay;  at  first  friendl}^  to  the  French,  they 
ultimately  became  hostile,  and  with  the  Maskoutens 
and  Kickapoos  attacked  Detroit  in  1712.  The 
French,  aided  b}^  the  Menomonees  and  Cbippewas, 
finally,  in  1746.  drove  them  on  to  the  Wisconsin 
river.  The}'  took  no  part  in  Pontiac's  war,  but  be- 
friended the  whites.  In  1766  they  took  up  their 
abode  where  Prairie  du  Chien  now  is,  and  on  the 


Indian  History.  65 


Mississippi  below.    In  the  American  Revolution  they 
took  sides  with  the  British,   and  English  intiuence 
prevailed  after  the  end  of  the  war.     By  the  treaty 
of  November  3,  1804,  for  $2,000,  and  an  annuity  of 
one  thousand,  they  ceded  to  the  United  States  on 
the  Mississippi  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  and  on  the  Illi- 
nois and  its  branch,  the  Fox,  large  tracts  of  land. 
At  this  time  they  were  chiefly  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, 140  leagues  above  St.   Louis,   and  numbered 
1,200.     In  the  war  of  1812,  three  hundred  warriors 
joined  the  British  at  Maiden,  and  took  part  in  the 
attack  on  Sandusky.     Keokuk,  one  of  their  chiefs, 
with  a  part  of  the  tribe,  remained  friendly,  then  and 
afterward.     In  1815  they  made  a  treaty  of  peace, 
but  one  band  of  Sauks  long  continued  to  be  called 
the  British  band.     They  ceded  lands  in  1824,  and 
again   in   1830.     Black   Hawk's   opposition  to  the 
latter  cession,  which  he  claimed  was  a  fraud,  inau- 
gurated tlie  war  in   1831-32— so  well  remembered 
by  the  old  settlers  here.     At  its  close,  they  made  a 
treaty  with  Gov.  Reynolds  and  Gen.  Scott,  at  Fort 
Armstrong,  ceding  land  for  an  annuity  of  $20,000 
for  twenty  years.      Black  Hawk  and  some  of  his 
warriors  were  carried  by  the  Government  to  Wash- 
ington and  to  the  principal  cities  of  the  East,  to  im- 
press them  with  a  proper  idea  of  the  number  and 
power  of  the  whites.     The  Sauks  settled  on  the  Des 
Moines,  and  afterwards  on  the  Osage.     In  1872  the 
Sauks  and  Foxes  had  ceded  their  lands  in  Kansas, 
and  numbering  473,  were  on  a  reservation  of  48,300 
acres,  between  the  north  fork  of  the  Canadian,  and 
the  red  fork  of  the  Arkansas.     Tlie  friendly  Sacs 


66  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


and  Foxes  are  rednced  to  eiglity-eiglit,  occupying 
a  reservation  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  while 
another  band  purchased  land  at  Tama,  Iowa,  and 
are  said  to  be  prosperous. 

WINNEBAGO    INDIANS. 

The  Winnebago  tribe  of  Indians  belong  to  the 
Dakota  family.  They  style  themselves  Hochun- 
gara,  are  styled  by  the  Sioux  Hotanki,  or  Sturgeon, 
and  by  the  Algonquins  Wennibegouk,  meaning  men 
from  the  fetid  or  salt  water.  They  apparently 
formed  the  van  of  the  eastward  Dakota  emigration, 
and  were  the  most  eastern  tribe  of  that  race.  They 
were  once  formidable,  and  a  terror  to  the  Algonquin 
tribes. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  I7th  century  a  general 
alliance  of  tribes  attacked  the  Winnebagos  ;  500 
warriors  perished.  The  Illinois,  wishing  to  relieve 
them,  were  ill-treated,  and  in  retaliation,  nearly 
exterminated  them.  They  were  friendly  and  faith- 
ful to  the  French.  They  adhered  to  Tecum seh,  and 
aided  the  British  in  the  Revolution,  and  were  a 
party  in  the  attack  on  Prairie  du  Chien,  in  1814. 
In  1820  they  had  fourteen  villages  on  Rock  river, 
and  five  on  Winnebago  lake.  In  1829  they  ceded 
land  from  the  Wisconsin  to  Rock  river,  for  $30,000 
in  goods  and  a  thirty-year  annuity  of  |18,000.  In 
September,  1832,  they  ceded  all  their  land  south  of 
the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers  for  a  reservation  of 
263,000  acres  on  the  Mississippi,  and  $10,000  for 
twenty-seven  years.  The  reservation  was  unfit,  and 
much  suffering  and  many  deaths  occurred.     They 


Indian  History.         ^  67 


were  removed  to  Crow  river,  and  from  there  to  Blue 
Earth,  Minnesota.  They  were  hardl}^  settled  when 
the  Sioux  war  broke  out,  in  1859,  and  Minnesota 
demanded  their  removal.  They  were  disarmed  in 
1863  and  removed  to  Crow  creek,  Dakota,  on  the 
Missouri.  This  place  afforded  no  means  of  subsist- 
ence, and  was  surrounded  by  wild  and  hostile  In- 
dians. Famine,  disease,  and  the  hostile  tribes  rap- 
idly reduced  them  to  less  than  two -thirds  their  num- 
ber when  removed.  The  survivors  reached  the 
Omaha  reservation  and  appealed  for  shelter.  In 
May,  1866,  they  were  removed  to  Winnebago,  Ne- 
braska, and  all  improvements  begun  again. 

Whoever  carefully  reads  the  history  of  these 
Indians,  after  they  ceded  their  lands  to  the  United 
States,  can  but  admit  that  their  treatm.ent  was  sim- 
ply barbarous.  Removed  from  rich  lands  and  good 
hunting-grounds,  where  they  lived  in  plenty,  to 
bleak,  cold,  barren,  inhospitable  wastes  allotted 
them  for  reservations,  their  fate  was  continual  suf- 
fering, disease,  and  death,  and  if  they  found  a  place 
where  living  was  possible,  the  cupidity,  avarice,  or 
fears  of  the  whites  at  once  demanded  their  removal. 

In  1869  they  were  assigned  to  the  care  of  the 
Friends.  In  1874  they  numbered  in  Nebraska 
1,445,  with  farms,  cottages,  and  stock,  dressed  like 
whites,  and  had  three  schools. 

About  1,000  left  in  Juneau,  Adams,  and  Wood 
counties,  Wisconsin,  were  self-supporting.  They 
have  been  removed  to  Nebraska,  on  a  reservation, 
but  most  of  them  left  on  arriving  there. 

Besides  the  early  Catholic  Mission,  later  attempts 


68  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

have  been  made  for  their  conversion  by  the  Catho- 
lics and  Presbyterians,  but  with  very  indifferent 
success. 

KICKAPOO    INDIAISTS. 

The  Kickai300  tribe  of  the  great  Algonquin  family 
were  first  found  b}^  the  French  missionaries,  towards 
the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  on  the  Wis- 
consin. They  were  friendly  to  the  French,  and 
allies  of  the  Miami  s,  yet  the}^  killed  Father  Gabriel 
de  la  Rebourdi,  one  of  La  Salle's  men.  They  made 
a  prisoner  of  Father  Guignas,  and  held  him  in  cap- 
tivit}^  for  months.  In  the  first  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  their  principal  location  was  on  Rock  river, 
Illinois.  When  the  English  came  in  possession  of 
the  country,  after  the  peace  of  1763,  they  found  a 
village  of  Kickapoos,  of  about  200,  on  the  Wabash. 
This  town  was  taken  by  the  United  States  forces  in 
1Y91,  and  Gen.  Wilkinson  burned  another  of  their 
towns  in  Illinois.  In  1812,  a  Kickapoo  town  on 
the  Illinois  was  surprised,  and  many  killed. 
Treaties  of  peace  were  concluded  at  Fort  Harrison 
in  1816,  and  at  Edwardsville  in  1819,  by  which  a 
large  proportion  of  their  land  w^as  ceded  to  the 
United  States.  Part  of  their  lands  they  claimed  by 
descent  from  their  ancestors,  having  been  in  posses- 
sion for  sixty  years,  and  a  part  by  conquest  from 
the  Illinois  nation. 

The  Kickapoos  were  one  of  the  principal  northern 
tribes  that  combined  against  the  Illinois,  and  waged 
a  relentless  war  for  more  than  half  a  century.  From 
about  1690  to  about  ITSO,  with  slight  intermissions, 


Indian  History:  69 


it  was  continuous.  After  a  short  suspension,  it  was 
renewed  with  great  vigor  upon  the  death  of  Pontiac, 
wliich  occurred  in  1779,  and  resulted  in  the  defeated 
Illinois  retiring  from  their  line  of  defense  along  the 
Illinois  river  to  the  south  part  of  the  State. 

This  Kickapoo  history  helps  to  fix  some  other 
points  in  the  history  of  the  Illinois. 

The  Kickapoos  were  on  the  Wisconsin  in  1690 ; 
on  the  Rook  river  in  1720  ;  and  were  allies  of 
the  Miamis,  whose  location  was  in  Indiana  and 
Ohio.  In  1763,  they  were  found  on  the  Wabash,  on 
the  east  line  of  Illinois.  This  section  they  claimed 
the  right  to  cede  in  the  treaty  of  1819,  having  in- 
herited it  and  been  in  possession  over  sixty  years. 

In  the  war  w^iicli  followed  the  death  of  Pontiac, 
and  in  which  occurred  the  events  told  in  the  legend 
of  Starved  Rock,  they  drove  the  Illinois  south, 
and  took  possession  of  the  country  south  and  east  of 
the  Illinois  river,  and  this  country  they  held  by  right 
of  conquest  from  the  Illinois,  as  they  claimed  when 
they  ceded  it.  So  their  occupancy  of  this  region 
must  have  commenced  about  1780,  or  soon  after, 
and  that  must  be  the  date  of  the  Illinois  retiring 
from  tills  region. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  by  the  whites, 
the  Kickapoos  were  living  on  the  Sangamon  and 
Mackinaw  rivers.  They  had  a  village  at  Kickapoo 
Creek,  and  at  Elkhart  Grove,  and  at  many  other 
points  between  the  Illinois  and  Wabash.  They 
were  bitter  enemies  of  the  United  States,  and  were 
foremost  in  the  battles  with  Harmar,  St.  Clair,  and 
Wayne,    and   they   led   in   the   bloody   charge    at 


70  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Tippecanoe.  Their  last  attack  of  the  Illinois  was 
near  Kaskaskia,  after  the  Illinois  had  retired  to  the 
south  part  of  the  State.  The  Illinois  children  were 
picking  strawberries  when  the  Kickapoos  attacked 
them,  killed  numbers,  and  took  the  others  captive. 

About  twenty-five  miles  from  Kaskaskia  is  the 
scene  of  a  great  battle  between  the  Kickapoos  and 
Pottawatomies  on  one  side,  and  the  Kaskaskias  and 
allies  on  the  other,  in  which  there  was  a  terrible 
slaughter  of  the  Kaskaskias  and  allies.  This 
occurred  about  1785  or  1790. 

After  being  reduced  to  submission,  annuities  were 
paid  them,  and  they  went  on  to  a  reservation  on 
the  Osage.  In  1822,  about  2,000  had  removed,  and 
about  400  remained  in  Illinois.  Missionaries  of 
different  denominations  labored  without  effect  for 
their  conversion.  Some  few  settled  down  to  agri- 
culture, but  the  most  rambled  off  to  hunt  and 
plunder.  A  part  of  them  emigrated  to  Mexico, 
from  whence  they  made  raids  over  the  border.  In 
1873,  300  or  400  of  them  returned,  and  went  on  a 
reservation  west  of  the  Arkansas  river.  Those  on 
the  reservation  now  number  274.  There  are  forty- 
six  children  in  the  school ;  they  have  live  stock 
valued  at  $18,000,  and  produce  valued  at  $12,000 
annually ;  they  dress  like  the  whites,  and  have 
ceased  to  be  warriors. 

LEGEXD   OF    STARVED   ROCK. 

The  legend  of  Starved  Rock  has  by  some  been 
pronounced  a  fiction,  while  others  have  claimed  that 
that  event  was  the  destruction  of  the  last  remnant  of 


Indian  History.  71 


the  great  nation  of  the  Illinois  ;  both  of  these  state- 
ments are  untenable.  It  was  a  war  party  of  the 
Illinois  Indians,  that  after  a  defeat  by  the  combined 
northern  tribes,  took  refuge  on  the  cliff,  the  Fort 
St.  Louis  of  the  French,  now  called  Starved  Roclv, 
and  after  a  protracted  siege  were  starved  into  sub- 
mission ;  the  rock  was  closely  surrounded  on  all 
sides,  and  efforts  to  procure  food  or  water  were 
prevented  by  the  determined  besiegers.  Tradition 
says,  that  starvation  did  its  work  ;  that  a  few  sur- 
vivors, in  desperation,  taking  advantage  of  a  dark 
and  stormy  night,  left  their  fastness,  and  en- 
countered the  foe ;  but  being  few  in  number  and  in  a 
weakened  condition,  they  were  no  match  for  their 
well  fed,  and  numerous  enemies,  and  were  soon 
dispatched  ;  but  it  is  said  that  in  the  darkness  and 
oonfusion,  a  few  individuals  escaped. 

Such  traditional  history  is  very  liable  to  be 
mingled  with  fiction,  so  that  all  the  truth  on  this 
subject  will  probably  never  be  known  ;  but  of  the 
substantial  truth  of  that  legend,  as  stated  above, 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  who 
resided  for  years  among  the  Indians,  says  there  was 
no  traditional  event  more  certain,  and  more  fully 
believed  by  the  Indians  than  this. 

The  bones  of  the  victims  lay  scattered  about  the 
olifF  in  profusion,  after  the  settlement  by  the  whites, 
and  are  still  found  mingled  plentifully  with  the  soil. 
It  is  true,  there  had  been  warfare  around  that  cliff 
before.  The  Iroquois  attacked  Tonti  and  were 
badly  beaten,  but  they  did  not  fall  on  the  clifiF,  nor 
did  the  French  leave  their  dead  unburied. 


72  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

After  tliat  defeat,  the  Illinois  abandoned  their  de- 
fenses on  the  line  of  the  Illinois'river.  That  line  of  de- 
fense was  an  excellent  one,  as  against  Indians.  The 
Indian  always  goes  to  war,  if  he  goes  at  all,  with  an 
open  place  of  retreat.  Mrs.  Simon  Crosiar  told  the 
writer  that  she  remained  with  her  family,  at  her 
cabin  at  Shippingport,  during  most  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  without  fear,  as  she  knew  the  Indian 
well  enough  to  know  that  he  would  never  put  such 
a  river  as  the  Illinois  between  him  and  his  place  of 
retreat,  and  her  opinion  seemed  well  founded,  as  the 
Sauks  did  not  cross  that  river  during  the  war.  The 
date  of  the  siege  of  Starved  Rock  is  not  definitely 
settled  ;  it  was  doubtless  the  last  stand  made  by  the 
retiring  Illinois  on  that  line  of  defense.  The  Foxes 
and  other  northern  tribes  had  been  making  war  on 
the  weakening  Illinois  for  nearly  a  century,  and 
after  the  death  of  Pontiac,  killed  in  a  drunken  brawl 
at  one  of  the  Illinois  villages,  for  which  the  Illinois 
were  not  in  fault,  the  war,  renewed  and  intensified 
by  that  event,  resulted  in  the  expulsion  of  the 
Illinois  from  their  ancient  home  on  their  favorite 
river.  Pontiac  was  killed  in  1779,  and  the  siege  of 
Starved  Rock  occurred  immediately  after,  probably 
not  later  than  1780,  The  absurd  statement,  that  the 
last. remnant  of  the  Illinois  nation  was  starved  and 
extinguished  at  that  time,  is  sufficientl}^  refuted  by 
the  record  of  treaties,  made  with  them  by  the 
Government  for  forty  j'^ears  afterward,  their  removal 
west  in  1820,  and  their  existence  yet,  though  only 
a  miserable  remnant  of  that  once  great  nation,  like 
the  flickering  light  of  a  lamp  with  the  oil  exhausted 
that  must  soon  be  forever  extinguished. 


Early  Explorations.  73 


EARLY  EXPLORATIONS. 

After  the  Frencli  abandoned  their  posts  here, 
which  was  about  1720,  they  still  occupied  posts 
north  at  Mackinaw  and  Green  Bay,  but  their  prin- 
cipal settlement  was  at  Detroit,  commenced  in  1701, 
and  they  visited  this  locality  occasionall}^  for  the 
purpose  of  trading.  But  the  country  was  virtually 
left  to  the  natives  after  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763, 
by  which  the  country  was  ceded  to  England.  The 
British  flag  was  hoisted  over  old  Fort  Chartres,  in 
what  is  now  Monroe  County,  Illinois,  the  seat  of  the 
Michigami  tribe  of  Illinois  Indians,  in  1765.  In  1779 
it  was  taken  from  the  English,  by  Col.  Clark,  for 
the  United  States,  and  became  a  part  of  Virginia. 
In  1784  Virginia  ceded  all  the  Northwest  Territory  to 
the  United  States,  and  in  1787  Congress  adopted  the 
ordinance  for  the  government  of  that  territory,  con- 
secrating it  to  freedom. 

The  first  account  of  a  visit  to  this  county  by  an 
American  citizen  may  be  found  in  Imlay's  America. 
It  is  a  journal  by  Patrick  Kennedy,  of  an  expedition, 
with  several  French  courieurs  debois^  from  Kaskas- 
kia  to  the  head  of  the  Illinois  river,  in  search  of  a 
copper  mine. 

They  left  Kaskaskia  July  23d,  1773,  one  hundred 
years  after  Marquette  passed  up  the  same  river. 
He  gives  a  flattering  description  of  the  country  ;  says 
the  land  is  exceedingly  rich,  the  timber  tall  and 
heavy  (bottom  timber  probably),  and  the  deer  and 
buffalo  plenty.  They  passed  the  mouth  of  the  San- 
gamon river    on    the  4:th  of  August,   and  reached 

6 


74  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Peoria  Lake  on  the  7th ;  found  the  French  stock- 
ade fort  burned,  but  some  of  the  houses  stand- 
ing ;  passed  the  Vermillion  on  the  9th — found  the 
water  too  shallow  for  his  boat  at  the  rapids,  and 
went  b}^  land  from  there ;  passed  the  Fox  on  the 
10th  of  August ;  went  some  forty-five  miles  further, 
and  returned  without  tinding  the  copper  mine.  They 
fell  in  with  a  party  of  French,  who  brought  them  in 
their  canoes  to  where  they  had  left  their  boat.  On 
the  way  down  the}'  met^a  Frenchman  by  the  name 
of  Jennette,  who  aided  them  in  their  search  for  the 
mine,  but  the  party  returned  to  Kaskaskia  not  hav- 
ing been  within  several  hundred  miles  of  the  copper 
mines  so  famed  in  both  ancient  and  modern  times. 
Their  meeting  with  Frenchmen  shows  that  the  French 
still  hunted  and  traded  here,  and  were  virtually  yet 
in  possession  of  the  country.  Fort  Dearborn,  at 
Chicago,  was  built  and  occupied  in  1804. 

A  topographical  survey  of  the  Northwest  was 
made  by  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Long,  United  States  Topo- 
graphical Engineer,  in  1817.  Fort  Clark,  at  Peoria, 
was  then  just  being  occupied  by  United  States  troops, 
and  Fort  Dearborn,  at  Chicago,  had  been  rebuilt 
the  year  previous,  having  been  unoccupied  since  its 
destruction  and  massacre  of  its  garrison  in  1812. 
Maj.  Long,  in  his  report,  refers  to  the  national  im- 
portance of  our  canal,  and  of  the  comparative  facility 
of  opening  a  canal  almost  made  by  nature. 

AMERICAN    FUR   COMPANY. 

About  the  year  1816  the  American  Fur  Company 
established  posts  for  trading  with  the  Indians  ;  one 


Early  Explorations.  75 


at  the  mouth  of  Bureau  creek,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river  ;  one  three  miles  below  Peoria,  on  the  west 
side,  and  one  below;  six  to  ten  in  the  interior, 
between  the  Illinois  and  Wabash  ;  and  three  or  four 
on  Rock  river. 

Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  of  Chicago,  has  kindly  fur- 
nished the  facts  in  relation  to  these  posts.  Mr. 
Hubbard  came  from  Vermont  in  the  employ  of  the 
company,  in  1818,  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age. 
After  being  here  one  year,  he  was  made  supervising 
agent  of  the  company,  going  from  post  to  post,  dis- 
tributing supplies  and  taking  away  the  furs  bought 
of  the  Indians.  These  posts  were  continued  till  the 
influx  of  the  whites,  and  change  of  location  of  the 
Indians,  destroyed  the  business.  That  occurred 
from  1826  to  1833. 

Mr.  Hubbard  says  there  were  posts  in  what  is  now 
La  Salle  County,  that  were  fitted  out  from  Chicago 
by  John  Baptiste,  Beaubien,  John  Kinzie,  and  John 
Crofts.  Mr.  Hubbard  found  no  white  people  but 
his  agents  between  the  Illinois  and  the  Wabash. 
These  posts  remained  in  the  heart  of  the  Indian 
country,  entirely  unprotected,  with  perfect  safet}^ 
The  Indians  no  doubt  regarded  them  as  great  acqui- 
sitions. 

The  agents  of  the  American  Fui-  Company  were 
spread  across  the  continent,  and  fortunes  were  rap- 
idly made.  John  Jacob  Astor  took  all  the  stock  of 
the  American  Fur  Companj^,  and  its  large  profits 
went  mainly  to  swell  his  colossal  fortune. 


76  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


HODGSON  S    NARRATIVE. 

Mr.  Eli  Hodgson,  of  Farm  Ridge,  has  furnished 
the  facts  for  the  following  narrative  of  a  trip  through 
this  region  by  his  father,  Joel  Hodgson,  in  1821,  two 
years  before  the  firet  white  settler  came  in.  Joel 
Hodgson  was  not  an  earl}^  settler  here,  but  he  settled 
in  1828  in  Tazewell  County,  with  a  large  family. 
Four  of  his  sons  and  his  widow  removed  to  Farm 
Ridge,  in  this  county,  in  1853.  Two  of  them,  Aaron 
and  Eli  Hodgson,  large  farmers  and  stock  breeders, 
are  now  residents  here,  and  the  narrative  is  worthy 
a  place  in  our  pioneer  history. 

In  the  autumn  of  1821  a  number  of  families  of 
Clinton  County,  Ohio,  proposed  to  emigrate  to  a 
western  location,  in  sufficient  numbers  to  support  a 
school,  church,  etc.,  and  deputed  Joel  Hodgson  and 
another  person  to  explore  the  then  wild  and  unoc- 
cupied Northwest,  and  select  a  location  for  the 
colony.  His  colleague  having  been  taken  sick,  Mr. 
Hodgson  resolutely  started  alone,  on  horseback. 
He  equipped  himself  with  a  good  horse,  saddle  and 
bridle,  a  packing  wapello  w^ell  filled  with  dried 
beef,  crackers,  and  hard-tack  ;  his  other  equipments 
were  the  best  map  he  could  then  get  of  the  western 
territories,  a  pocket  compass,  flint  and  steel  and 
punk-wood,  with  which  to  kindle  a  fire,  as  matches 
were  not  then  known.  He  carried  no  weapon,  often 
remarking  that  an  honest  face  was  the  best  weapon 
among  civilized  or  savage  men. 

After  safely  crossing  the  State  of  Indiana,  then  a 
wilderness,  he  entered  Illinois  where  Danville  now 


Early  ExijloraUons.  11 

is,  where  lie  found  a  small  settlement  and  some 
friends.  Here  he  made  a  short  stay,  and  then  took 
a  northwest  course,  to  strike  the  Illinois  river,  his 
map  and  compass  his  only  guide. 

He  put  up,  usually,  where  night  found  him. 
Striking  a  hre  with  his  flint,  steel,  and  punk, 
wrapped  in  his  blanket,  and  with  the  broad  earth 
for  a  bed,  he  slept  soundly.  He  stated  that  his 
horse  became  very  cowardly,  so  that  he  would 
scarcely  crop  the  grass,  which  was  his  only  suste- 
nance ;  he  would  keep  close  by  his  master,  follow- 
ing him  wherever  he  went,  and  sleeping  at  night  hj 
his  side,  and  would  not  leave  him  at  any  time. 
With  no  roads  but  an  occasional  Indian  trail, 
through  high  grass  and  bushes,  over  the  broad, 
limitless  prairie,  or  along  the  timber  belts,  occasion- 
ally meeting  a  part}^  of  Indians,  with  whom  he  con- 
versed only  by  signs,  it  is  not  surprising  that  horse 
or  rider  should  be  lonely,  suspicious,  and  fearful. 
The  Indians  were  friendly,  offering  to  pilot  him 
wherever  he  wished  to  go,  but  were  importunate  for 
tobacco  and  whisky — ^in  vain,  liowever,  for  he  carried 
neither. 

He  reached  the  Illinois,  he  supposed,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Kankakee,  and  followed  down  on 
the  south  side,  till  he  reached  the  mouth  of  Fox 
river,  and  recognized  it  on  his  map— the  first  time 
he  had  been  certain  of  his  locality  since  he  left  Dan- 
ville. 

He  explored  each  of  the  southern  branches  of  the 
Illinois  for  several  miles  from  their  mouths,  going 
up  one  side,  and  down  the  other.     He  thus  worked 


78  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

his  way  to  Dillon's  Grove,  in  Tazewell  County; 
there,  as  he  expected,  he  met  a  few  settlers,  old 
neighbors  of  his,  from  Ohio,  the  first  white  men  he 
had  seen  since  leaving  Danville.  He  then  returned 
by  the  waj'  of  Springfield  and  Yandalia  to  Danville, 
where  he  made  a  claim  on  Government  land,  which 
he  afterwards  purchased.  He  returned  to  Ohio  and 
reported  that  he  found  no  suitable  location  for  the 
proposed  colony.  Some  might  think  it  rather  sin- 
gular that  a  man  of  his  resolution,  and  sound  judg- 
ment, should  pass  through  the  best  part  of  the  State 
of  Illinois — the  best  portion  of  the  West,  and  as 
good  a  country  as  the  sun  shines  on,  and  then  make 
such  report ;  but  those  who  saw  it  as  he  saw  it.  can 
properly  apjDreciate  his  decision,  and  the  fact  that 
he  made  such  a  decision,  is  significant  of  the  im- 
measurable difference  betwen  then  and  now.  Sur- 
rounded by  the  solitude,  which  even  his  horse  felt 
so  keenly,  he  was  not  in  a  mood  to  take  in  the  full 
value  of  a  prauie  farm,  and  the  prairie  region  was 
not  then  understood  ;  there  was  supposed  to  be  an 
almost  fatal  deficiency  of  timber,  and  the  coal  fields 
were  hid  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  The  prairie 
was  supposed  to  be  so  cold  and  bleak  in  winter  as 
to  be  uninhabitable,  and  that  not  more  than  a  tenth 
of  the  country  could  ever  be  utilized.  The  railroads 
which  now  connect  us  with  either  ocean,  and  the 
telegraph  that  annihilates  distance,  and  converses 
with  all  the  world,  were  neither  of  them  invented. 
The  slower  mail  and  post  coach  had  not  then 
crossed  the  prairie  region,  and  the  puffing  steamer 
had  never  reached  the  Upper  Illinois,    There  was  no 


Early  Explorations.  79 

civilization  here.  The  deer,  the  wolf,  and  the  In- 
dian, held  a  divided  empire,  and  to  the  solitary 
traveler  it  seemed  that  generations  must  pass  before 
this  immense  solitude  could  be  made  vocal  with  the 
converse  and  business  of  a  civilized  people.  Even 
of  those  who  came  ten  years  later,  many  were  of 
that  opinion,  and  for  several  years  later  ^till,  never 
expected  to  live  to  see  the  large  prairies  occupied. 
Our  explorer  eventually  changed  his  opinion,  for  in 
1828  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Tazewell  County,  and 
removed  there  three  years  later,  having,  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1828,  taken  a  trip  through  the  country, 
similar  to  that  in  1821,  when  some  few  settlements 
and  more  experience  softened  the  aspect  of  the  then 
changing  wilderness,  and  convinced  him  of  the  fea- 
sibility of  settling  the  prairie  region.  He  remained 
on  his  purchase,  near  Pekin,  till  his  death,  in  the 
autumn  of  1836,  leaving  a  widow  and  nine  children. 
The  eldest  son,  Isaac,  settled  at  Long  Point,  Liv- 
ingston County,  in  1834,  twelve  miles  from  the  near- 
est neighbor,  and  in  1848  moved  to  South  Ottawa, 
where  he  died  in  1851.  In  1853,  four  more  of  the 
brothers— Eli,  Aaron,  Abner,  and  Isaiah,  settled 
in  Farm  Ridge,  and  soon  after,  their  mother,  the 
widow  of  Joel  Hodgson,  removed  there,  where  she 
died  in  1875.  Eli  and  Aaron  only  survive,  each 
with  large  families. 


80  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  COUXTY,  AND 
THE  WINNEBAGO  WAR. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  made  in  the  county, 
was  at  Ottawa  and  vicinity.  Its  geographical  loca- 
tion, its  topographical  and  geological  features  marked 
that  as  a  central  and  important  point,  even  to  the 
most  superficial  observer.  Dr.  Davidson  was  the 
first  white  man,  after  the  French,  who  settled  in  the 
county;  he  came  in  the  summer  of  1S28  ;  Jesse 
Walker  came  in  the  fall  of  1824,  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  mission  among  the  Pottawatomie 
Indians  ;  Enos  Pembroke,  Thomas  R.  Covell,  Lewis 
Bailey,  George  and  Joseph  Brown,  Col.  Sayers,  and 
Edward  Weed,  came  in  1825  :  David  Walker,  James 
Walker,  and  Simon  Crosiar,  came  in  1826  ;  George  E, 
Walker  in  1827.  Nearly  all  of  these  located  on  the 
bluff,  in  what  is  now  South  Ottawa.  These,  and 
perhaps  two  or  three  others,  constituted  the  pioneer 
force,  the  infant  colon}",  that  occupied  La  Salle 
County  in  1827,  when  the  Winnebago  war  broke 
out  and  struck  terror  to  all  the  frontier  settlements. 
The  scene  of  the  outbreak  was  some  distance  away, 
but  the  intervening  territory  was  a  desert  waste,  or 
occupied  by  Indians,  on  whom  no  reliance  could  be 
placed.  Immediately  on  hearing  of  the  outbreak 
the  little  colony  constructed  a  fort,  and  made  the 
best  possible  preparation  for  defense. 

The  fort  was  a  small  palisade,  back  from  the  bluff 
in  South  Ottawa,  far  enough  from  the  timber  to  pre- 
vent the  enem}"  attacking  under  its  cover,  and  com- 
manding a  supply  of  water.     The  marks  of  the  fort 


First  Settlement — Winne'bago  War.  81 

can  still  be  seen  on  the  farm  of  Colonel  Hitt,  south- 
westerly from  his  residence. 

In  the  war  of  1312,  the  Northwestern  Indians 
mostly  took  part  with  the  British,  but  joined  in  the 
treaty  of  peace,  and  remained  friendly  and  peaceable 
up  to  the  summer  of  1827.  That  summer  the  Win- 
nebago tribe  became  turbulent,  and  without  any 
apparent  cause  (except  those  petty  frauds  and 
wrongs  constantly  perpetrated  by  un]3rincipled  Iron 
tiers  men)  seemed  disposed  to  take  the  war  path. 

Capt.  Allen  Lindsley,  with  two  keel  boats,  while 
trading  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  discov^ered  evident 
signs  of  hostile  intent  in  the  demeanor  of  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  armed  his  men,  and  prepared  for  the  worst. 
While  descending  the  river,  at  a  point  a  few  miles 
above  Prairie  du  Chien  and  opposite  the  village  of 
that  tribe,  he  was  fired  upon,  and  his  boats  surrounded 
b}^  the  Indian  canoes  in  an  attempt  to  board.  He 
effectively  returned  the  fire,  beat  off  their  boarders, 
and  passed  on  down  the  river ;  he  had  two  men 
killed,  and  some  other  slight  casualties,  while  the 
Indians  were  handled  rather  roughly. 

Such  an  outbreak  at  that  time,  of  course,  sent  a 
thrill  of  terror  through  all  the  infant  settlements. 
There  were  then,  j^erhaps,  2,000  settlers  in  the 
mining  region,  and  along  the  Mississippi,  and  a  few 
scattering  pioneers  along  the  Illinois  river,  then  the 
extreme  northern  limit  of  the  frontier  settlements. 

The  country  was  full  of  Indians,  of  different 
tribes,  apparently  friendly,  but  the  proverbial 
treachery  of  whose  character  was  well  understood. 
The  confederation  of  the  tribes  for  the  destruction 


82  History  of  La  8alle  County. 

of  the  whites,  under  Tecumseh  and  Pontiac,  was 
well  remembered,  and  such  an  act  of  hostility  might 
be  imagined  as  but  the  prelude  to  a  general  war. 
.  The  following  statement,  by  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard, 
extracted  from  the  seventh  volume  of  the  Wisconsin 
Historical  Collections,  casts  much  light  on  the  rela- 
tions of  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  as  well  as  giving 
a  lucid  account  of  the  Winnebago  war  in  1827. 

Mr.  Hubbard  says:  "It  is  a  mistake  that  the 
young  warriors  of  the  Pottawatomies  designed  at- 
tempting to  capture  Fort  Dearborn  in  1832.  No 
such  design  was  ever  contemplated  ;  had  there  been 
I  should  have  certainly  known  it.  The  Pottawato- 
mies were  then  friendly.  Their  chief,  Shaubanee,  was 
very  industrious,  riding  day  and  night,  giving  infor- 
mation to  frontier  settlers  and  protecting  them,  when 
in  his  power,  sending  nine  of  his  young  men  to  Gen. 
Atkinson,  wlio  remained  in  the  army,  as  aids  to  our 
troops.  I  was  in  Gen.  Atkinson's  campaign  from 
the  time  he  left  the  Illinois  river,  serving  sixty  days, 
and  personally  conversant  with  every  movement. 

"The  statement  referred  to  might  aj)ply  to  the 
Winnebago  war  of  1827,  but  not  to  the  troubles  of 
1832.  Then  such  an  expedition  was  contemplated 
by  Big  Foot's  band,  whose  village  was  at  Geneva 
Lake,  then  known  as  Big  Foot's  Lake.  Big  Foot 
circulated  secretly  the  war  wampum  to  the  Potta- 
watomies while  here  receiving  their  annuities,  but  it 
was  not  accepted  by  their  chiefs  and  braves.  It  was 
kept  so  secret  tliat  not  a  white  man  knew  about  it. 

' '  The  first  intelligence  we  had  here  of  the  massacre 
on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  in  1827,  was  brought  by 


First  Settlement  —  Winnebago  War.  83 

Gen.  Cass,  who  at  the  time  was  at  Green  Bay  for  the 
purpose  of  holding  a  treaty. 

' '  The  moment  the  General  received  the  news  of  the 
hostile  proceedings  of  the  Winnebagoes  he  started 
in  alight  birch-bark  canoe,  descended  the  Wisconsin 
and  Mississippi  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  where  he  pre- 
vailed on  the  commanding  officer  to  take  the  respon- 
sibility of  chartering  a  steamer  and  sending  troops 
up  the  Mississippi.  The  expedition  left  the  morn- 
ing after  Gen.  Cass  arrived  there,  he  accompanying 
the  party  as  far  as  the  month  of  the  Illinois  river, 
which  he  ascended,  and  came  here  to  Chicago  in  his 
light  canoe.  I  was  taking  breakfast  at  Mr.  John 
Kinzie'  s  when  we  heard  the  Canadian  boat  song.  Mr. 
Kinzie  remarked  that  the  leader's  voice  was  'like 
Forsyth's,'  secretary  to  Gen.  Cass.  We  all  rushed 
to  the  piazza ;  the  canoe,  propelled  by  thirteen  voy- 
ageurs,  was  coming  rapidly  down  the  river  in  full 
view— a  beautiful  sight. 

"  We  hastened  to  the  bank,  receiving  Gen.  Cass  and 
Forsyth,  the  latter  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Kinzie. 

"While  eating  their  breakfast  they  gave  us  full 
particulars  of  what  had  transpired.  Gen.  Cass  re- 
mained probably  two  hours,  and  left,  coasting  Lake 
Michigan.  Big  Foot' s  band  had  lingered  here  sev- 
eral days  after  the  other  Indians  had  left.  During 
this  time  the  fort,  then  evacuated,  was  struck  by 
lightning.  The  barracks  on  the  east  side,  the  store- 
house at  the  south  gate,  and  part  of  the  guard-house 
at  the  south  gate,  burned  down.  It  was  at  the  time 
blowing  and  raining  furiously. 

"I  was  sleeping  with  Robert  Kinzie,  United  States 


84  History  of  La  Salle  County, 

Postmaster,  in  his  father's  house.  We  put  on  our 
clothes,  ran  to  the  river,  and  found  our  canoe  filled 
with  water ;  we  could  make  no  headway  with  it. 
We  then  swam  the  river  and  aided  in  extinguishing 
the  fire. 

' '  We  received  no  aid  from  the  Indians  of  Big  Foot' s 
band.  We  thought  it  strange  at  the  time,  and  they 
decamped  in  the  morning.  The  news  by  Gen.  Cass 
made  us  suspect  Big  Foot.  That  same  day  we  sent 
Shaubanee  and  Billy  Caldwell  to  Big  Foof  s  village 
as  spies,  to  ascertain  what  the  Indians'  intentions 
were. 

''Caldwell  secreted  himself  in  the  woods,  sending 
Shaubanee  into  the  camp.  He  was  immediately 
seized,  but  by  his  presence  of  mind  and  shrewdness 
got  liberated.  He  was  escorted  by  Big  Foot's  In- 
dians for  half  a  day,  Shaubanee  giving  a  signal  as 
they  passed  near  where  Caldwell  was,  so  that  he 
and  Caldwell  did  not  return  together,  Caldwell 
reaching  here  about  two  hours  later.  Shaubanee 
reported  that  he  was  questioned  as  to  the  quantity 
of  guns  and  ammunition  the  traders  had  here,  which 
led  him  to  think  an  attack  was  contemplated.  Big 
Foot  admitted  he  had  joined  the  Winnebagoes  to 
drive  the  whites  from  the  country,  urging  Sliaubanee 
to  act  witli  him,  who  replied  that  he  would  go  home, 
call  a  council  of  his  braves  and  send  an  answer. 
There  were  here  at  Chicago  only  about  thirty  whites 
able  to  bear  arms. 

'•A  council  was  called,  which  resulted  in  a  resolu- 
tion to  send  two  or  three  to  the  Wabash  for  aid. 
Three  volunteers  were  called  for  this  purpose,  but 


Organization  of  La  Salle  County.  85 

no  one  seemed  willing  to  go.  I  volunteered  to  go 
alone,  Mrs.  Helm,  who  was  here  at  the  massacre  of 
1812,  objecting,  on  tlie  ground  that  I  was  the  only 
one  who  had  sufficient  influence  to  command  the 
voyageurs,  in  case  of  attack,  but  it  was  finally  de- 
cided that  I  should  go. 

"  I  started  about  four  o'clock  P.  m.,  and  reached 
Danville  the  next  afternoon,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles.  Runners  were  immediatel}^  despatched 
through  the  settlements,  and  the  second  day  one 
hundred  mounted  volunteers  reported,  and  we  left 
for  Chicago,  reaching  there  the  seventh  day  after 
my  leaving  the  fort.  These  volunteers  remained,  I 
think,  about  twenty-five  days,  when  we  received  the 
news  that  the  troops  from  Jefferson  Barracks  had 
reached  the  Upper  Mississippi.  The  Winnebagoes, 
surprised  at  their  arrival,  got  together  and  con- 
cluded a  peace  with  the  commanding  officer." 


ORGANIZATION  OF  LA  SALLE  COUNTY. 

At  the  time  settlements  commenced  in  La  Salle 
County,  the  territory  was  a  part  of  Peoria  County. 
Previous  to  the  organization  of  Peoria  County  the 
territory  was  a  part  of  Sangamon  County.  Thus, 
each  new  county,  formed  on  the  northern  frontier 
of  the  settled  portion  of  the  State,  embraced  all  the 
territory  north  of  it  to  the  State  line,  as  the  settle- 
ment  of  the  State  commenced  at  the  south,  and  pro- 
gressed north. 

The  first  election  in  what  is  now  La  Salle  County 
was  held  at  the  house  of  John  Green,  in  August, 


86  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


1830.  It  was  for  Fox  River  Precinct  of  Peoria 
County. 

In  the  winter  of  1830-31  tlie  legislature  organized 
the  county  of  La  Salle,  and  an  election  was  held  the 
following  spring,  at  Ottawa,  for  county  officers.  The 
boundaries  of  the  county  included  Ranges  1,  2,  3,  4,  5, 
and  6,  from  the  south  line  of  Township  29,  now  the 
south  line  of  the  town  of  Groveland,  to  the  north  line 
of  the  State,  being  thirty-six  miles  wide,  and  over  one 
hundred  miles  long — about  the  size  of  some  of  the 
smaller  States. 

At  the  first  election  held  at  Ottawa,  March  7th, 

1831,  George  E.  AValker  was  chosen  Sheriff ;  John 
Green,  Abraham  Trumbo,  and  James  B.  Campbell, 
County  Commissioners  ;  and  David  Walker,  County 
Clerk. 

The  county  was  divided  into  three  precincts. 
Ranges  1  and  2  constituted  Vermillion  Precinct ; 
Ranges  3  and  4  Ottawa  Precinct ;  and  Ranges  6  and 
6  Eastern  Precinct.  Each  precinct  ran  north  to  the 
State  line. 

A  court  was  held  the  following  summer  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  as  that  was  then  the  town. 
Judge  Young  presided.  The  grand  jury  held  a  ses- 
sion, a  petit  jury  were  summoned,  but  no  present- 
ments were  made,  nor  trials  had.  It  is  said  the 
court  was  held  under  a  large  tree,  on  tlie  bottoms 
south  of  the  river.  The  grand  jur}^  met  in  a  room 
of  David  Walker's  liouse,  and  the  petit  jury,  not 
being  impanneled,  were  not  confined  to  any  locality. 

Judge  Young  complimented  the  county  upon  its 
moral  character,  in  having  no  indictments  presented. 


Organization  of  La  Salle  County.  87 


It  seems  that  the  first  indictments  ever  presented 
by  the  grand  jury  in  La  Salle  County,  were  for  sell- 
ing whisky  without  a  license,  and  if  the  past  may 
be  regarded  as  the  truthful  index  of  the  future,  and 
human  nature  remains  as  now,  the  last  indictments 
which  precede  the  final  consummation  of  all  earthly 
things,  may  be  for  the  same  off"ense. 

After  the  fright  from  the  Winnebago  outbreak 
had  subsided,  emigrants  came  in  quite  freely. 

The  first  settlements  were  made  along  the  edge 
of  the  best  timber.     Tlie  impression  was,  that  only 
the    timber    belts   could    ever  be    inhabited ;    the 
prairies  were  thought  to  be  too  cold  in  winter,   and 
uninhabitable  for  want  of  timber.     Thus  the  main 
attraction   was   the   best   groves,    and    farms   witli 
timber  and  prairie  adjoining  were  first  selected,  and 
none  other  as  long  as  such  could  be  found.     After 
Ottawa,  the  first  settlements  were  at  Bailey' s  Grove, 
(now  Tonica)  in  1825  to  1828  ;  at  Dayton  and  Rut- 
land by  Green's  party,  in  1829,  and  others  in  1830-31. 
At  that  time  the  only  white  man  between  there  and 
Galena  was  John  Dixon,  the  first  and  then  the  only 
settler  where  Dixon  now  is.     There  was  only  one 
white  man  between  there  and  Peoria,  on  the  river, 
that  was  Mr.  Hartsell,  an  Indian  trader,  at  Henne- 
pin.    John  Hays  settled  at  Peru ;   Lapsley,  at  La 
Salle  ;  Myers,  Letts,  and  Richey,  on  the  bluff  south 
of  Peru— all  in  1830.     James  Galloway  had  settled 
opposite  Marseilles  in  1825.     Troy  Grove  received 
its  first  settler  in  1830,  but  only  three  families  till 
1833  ;  Indian  Creek,  in  1830  ;  and  the   first  on  the 
Vermillion,  was  in  1831.     Martin  Reynolds  came  to 


88  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Deer  Park  in  1829,  and  Elsa  Armstrong  in  ]831. 
Charles  Brown  and  the  Hooabooms  came  in  1830. 
These,  with  a  few  others,  were  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  La  Salle  County  in  1831-32,  when  the  Black 
Hawk  war  broke  over  the  defenseless  colony.  The 
settlements  in  the  county  were  located  at  Ottawa 
and  vicinity,  nearly  all  south  of  the  river,  extend- 
ing to  Covell  creek,  and  to  Brown's  Point  below. 
At  Dayton  and  Rutland,  on  both  sides  of  the  Fox, 
and  on  the  Illinois  at  or  near  the  Grand  Rapids, 
there  might  have  been  fifty  persons;  four  or  five 
families  on  Indian  creek ;  four  or  five  at  La  Salle 
and  Peru  and  the  bluff  opposite ;  a  like  number 
at  Bailey's  Grove,  and  two  or  three  each  on  the 
Fpper  Vermillion,  and  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Deer  Park — a  feeble  and  scattered  people,  on  the 
extreme  borders  of  civilization,  but  illy  prepared  to 
meet  the  shock  of  savage  warfare. 

The  outbreak  in  the  spring  of  1831,  when  Black 
Hawk  crossed  the  Mississippi,  near  Rock  Island, 
and  drove  the  settlers  from  their  claims,  alarmed 
the  whole  frontier.  The  timid  left  the  countrj^,  and 
Immigration  ceased.  The  difficulty  was  temporaril}^ 
settled,  but  there  w^as  a  feverish  anxiety  among  the 
people;  and  when,  in  the  spring  of  1832,  the  Sauks, 
under  Black  Hawk,  took  the  war-path  in  earnest, 
many  precipitately  left,  decreasing  the.  means  of 
defense,  and  weakening  the  already  feeble  colony. 

The  winter  of  1830-31  was  a  very  severe  one ;  the 
snow  was  of  unusual  depth,  and  traveling  across 
the  country  almost  impossible.  The  water  of  the 
Illinois  river,  at  the  time  of  the  spring  floods,  w^as 


Black  Haiok  War.  89 


from   two   to   three  feet   higher   than   it   has  been 
since. 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

Bhick  Hawk,  the  chief  of  what  was  called  the 
British  band  of  the  Sanks,  who  made  war  on  the 
settlements  in  1831,  and  again  in  1882,  althongh 
an  ardent  friend  of  the  British,  and  a  bitter  enemy 
of  the  United  States,  was,  from  all  accounts  an 
amiable  savage.  He  was  now  an  old  man  ;  he  had 
been  a  warrior  from  his  youth,  and  it  is  said  he  had 
never  been  defeated.  He  had  served  with  the 
British,  and  was  a  friend  of  Tecumseh,  in  common 
with  nearly  all  the  prominent  chiefs  at  that  day.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  a  kind  husband  and  father, 
honest,  and  truthful,  affectionate  and  sympathetic. 

It  was  his  custom  to  spend  one  day  each  year  by 
the  grave  of  a  favorite  daughter,  who  was  buried  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  near  Oquawka. 

The  tronble  with  Black  Hawk  originated  as  far 
back  as  1804.  A  treaty  was  made  by  his  tribe, 
selling  most  of  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
This  treaty,  and  several  subsequent  ones  in  1815, 
1816  and  1830,  Black  Hawk  said,  were  frauds  ;  that 
in  1804  some  of  their  tribe  were  arrested  and  tried  in 
St.  Louis  for  mnrder,  and  some  of  the  chiefs  went 
down  to  assist  them  on  the  trial  ;  that  they  got 
drnnk  and  did  not  know  what  they  did,  but  when 
they  came  home  said  they  had  sold  some  land,  and 
were  decked  out  with  Indian  finery,  which  was  all 
they  received  for  the  land. 


90  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

In  1831,  Black  Hawk  and  most  of  liis  tiibe  resided 
west  of  tlie  Mississippi.  Some  settlers  had  bought 
of  the  Government,  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  what 
had  been  their  principal  town  on  the  east  side,  just 
below  Rock  Island.  Black  Hawk  ordered  them 
away,  and  upon  their  not  going,  destroyed  their  im- 
provements, and  threatened  to  make  war.  Greneral 
G-aines,  with  a  few  companies  of  United  States  sol- 
diers, was  sent  to  the  scene  of  trouble,  and  seven  hun- 
dred mounted  volunteers  from  Illinois  were  called 
out.  Black  Hawk  retreated  across  the  Mississippi, 
and  finally  sued  for  peace,  which  was  concluded  by 
his  ceding  the  disputed  land.  Yet,  in  the  spring  of 
1832  he  again  crossed  the  Mississippi,  notwithstand- 
ing his  agreement,  and  made  vindictive  war  on  the 
frontier  settlements.  His  bitter  feelings  toward  the 
United  States,  and  the  wasting  of  his  tribe,  encroach- 
ment of  the  whites,  and  prospect  of  extinction, 
exasperated  the  old  man's  feelings  and  he  made  war, 
doubtless  in  desperation. 

Governor  Reynolds  called  out  about  2,20(>  volun- 
teers, who  were  equipped,  and  ordered  to  the  scene 
of  the  outbreak,  under  the  command  of  General 
Whiteside,  of  the  State  militia. 

They  went  by  the  way  of  Oquawka  on  the  Miss- 
issippi, to  Rock  river,  and  rendezvoused  at  Dixon. 
The  army  here  found  two  battalions  of  mounted 
volunteers  from  the  counties  of  McLean,  Tazewell, 
Peoria  and  Fulton,  commanded  by  majors  Stillman 
and  Bailej^  These  forces  asked  for  some  dangerous 
service  in  which  they  might  distinguish  themselves. 
They  were  ordered  up  the  river  to  feel  the  enemy. 


Black  Hawk  War.  91 

and  learn  Ms  location  and  streEgth.  Stillman's 
command  left  on  the  12tli  of  May.  When  they  came 
to  Old  Man's  Creek,  since  called  Stillman's  Run, 
they  discovered  a  few  Indians  on  horseback,  and  the 
men,  without  orders  or  commander,  at  once  pursued, 
overtook  and  killed  three  Indians,  but  soon  en- 
countered Black  Hawk  with  some  seven  hundred 
warriors  and  of  course  changed  front,  and  tried  the 
speed  of  their  chargers  in  the  opposite  direction. 
When  they  reached  camp,  the  whole  battalion 
caught  the  panic  and  made  at  once  for  Dixon  where 
the  army  was  encamped.  Stillman  lost  eleven  men, 
and  was  deemed  fortunate  in  losing  so  few. 

The  whole  force  was  now  anxious  to  be  discharged. 
It  seems  their  time  of  service  had  about  exj)ired,  and 
real  fighting  proving  anything  but  holiday  sport, 
they  refused  to  serve  longer.  They  were  marched 
first  to  Stillman's  battle  ground,  and  then  by  the 
way  of  Paw  Paw  Grove,  and  Indian  Creek  to 
Ottawa,  where  they  were  discharged  by  Governor 
Reynolds  on  the  27th  and  28th  of  May. 

Stillman's  defeat  and  the  discharge  of  the  forces 
placed  the  frontier  settlements  at  the  mercy  of  the 
foe.  The  Indians  scattered  in  small  parties  to  the 
nearest  settlements,  and  nearly  all  the  lives  of  the 
settlers  that  were  taken  during  the  war,  were  taken 
soon  after,  and  all  the  casualties  followed,  as  the 
result  of  that  defeat.  Fifteen  at  Indian  Creek ; 
Paine,  the  Dunkard  preacher,  killed  north  of  Mar- 
seilles ;  Schermerhorn  and  Hazleton,  east  of  Fox 
river ;  young  Baresford  on  Indian  creek  ;  one  on 
Bureau  creek,  and  one  at  Buflfalo  Grove,  were  the 


92  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

victims.  It  seems  that  La  Salle  County  suffered 
far  more  than  all  others. 

After  the  discharge  of  the  forces  at  Ottawa,  Col. 
Fry  made  a  speech  to  the  discharged  men,  telling 
them  it  was  a  sliame  for  them  to  go  home  and  leave 
these  defenseless  families  to  certain  death,  and  call- 
ing for  volunteers  to  serve  till  other  forces  could  be 
raised  and  placed  in  the  field.  To  this  appeal  a 
portion  promptly  responded. 

Out  of  the  discharged  men,  a  regiment  of  volun- 
ters  was  raised.  Jacob  Fry  was  elected  Colonel : 
James  D.  Henry,  Lieut. -Colonel,  and  John  Thomas, 
Major.  Whiteside,  late  commanding  general,  en- 
listed as  a  private.  The  several  companies  of  this 
regiment  were  so  disposed  as  to  best  guard  the 
frontier. 

On  the  loth  of  June,  the  new  levies  had  been  mus- 
tered in,  and  were  formed  in  three  brigades,  the 
whole  force  amounting  to  3,200  men.  There  were 
fears  that  the  Winnebagoes  and  Pottawatomies  would 
join  the  Sauks,  and  a  large  force  was  called  out, 
as  well  to  overawe  them,  as  to  cope  with  the  enem}^ 
already  in  the  field.  The  Indians  at  this  time  had 
possession  of  nearl}^  the  whole  country  from  Chicago 
to  Galena,  and  from  the  Illinois  river  to  Wisconsin  ; 
they  lurked  in  nearly  every  grove,  but  the  settlers 
had  taken  refuge  in  places  of  safety,  and  no  more 
casualties  occurred. 

The  army  was  commanded  by  General  Atkinson 
of  the  regular  army.  On  the  22d  of  June,  the  forces 
were  organized  on  the  Illinois  river  at  Fort  AVilburn, 
near  where  Peru  now  is.  They  first  marched  to 
Dixon. 


Black  Hawk  War.  93 

The  movement  of  these  troops  north  relieved  the 
apprehension  of  the  settlers,  who  soon  returned  to 
their  farms  ;  the  Indians  were  pursued  steadily, 
and  after  repeated  skirmishes  were  utterly  defeated 
at  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe,  on  the  Mississippi,  in  Wis- 
consin, August,  1832.  Black  Hawk  was  taken  pris- 
oner with  the  prophet,  by  the  friendly  Winnebagoes, 
probably  by  treachery . 

They  were  taken  to  St.  Louis,  where  a  treaty  was 
made,  such  as  the  Government  saw  fit  to  dictate  ; 
from  there  they  were  taken  to  Washington  City, 
where  they  had  an  interview  with  President  Jackson, 
and  Black  Hawk  said  to  the  President:  "I  am  a 
man,  you  are  another.  We  did  not  expect  to  con- 
quer the  white  people  ;  I  took  up  the  hatchet  to  re- 
venge injuries  which  could  no  longer  be  borne  ;  had 
I  borne  them  longer,  my  people  would  have  said, 
•  Black  Hawk  is  a  squaw,  he  is  too  old  to  be  a  chief. 
He  is  no  Sac'  This  caused  me  to  raise  the  war- 
whoop." 

He  was  sent  to  Fortress  Monroe  where  he  became 
much  attached  to  Colonel  Eustace,  the  commander. 
On  parting,  Black  Hawk  said,  "The  memory  of 
your  friendship  will  remain  until  the  Great  Spirit 
says  it  is  time  for  Black  Hawk  to  sing  his  death- 
song.  "  After  visiting  the  principal  cities,  in  June, 
1833,  he  was  returned  to  his  tribe,  west  of  the  great 
river.  He  lived  till  the  3rd  of  October,  1840,  when 
he  died  at  the  age  of  80  years,  and  was  buried  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  where  he  had  spent  most  of 
his  life. 

General  Scott  had  been  ordered  from  the  East  to 


94  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

take  command  in  this  war.  In  eighteen  days  he 
transported  a  regular  force  from  Fortress  Monroe  to 
Chicago  ;  on  their  way  np  the  lakes  they  were 
dreadfully  afflicted  with  Asiatic  cholera,  then  a  new 
and  strange  disease.  It  broke  out  among  the  troops 
when  at  Detroit,  Of  two  hundred  .landed  forty 
miles  from  Detroit,  only  nine  survived.  The  main 
body  came  on,  under  General  Scott,  to  Chicago. 
The  disease  again  broke  out  when  at  Mackinaw, 
and  continued  after  their  arrival  at  Chicago,  and 
within  thirty  days,  ninety  more  were  carried  to 
their  graves.  The  cholera  detained  Scott  and  his 
troops  at  Chicago  about  a  month,  and  he  reached 
the  Mississippi  at  Rock  Island,  in  August,  18B2,  but 
after  the  decisive  battle  at  Bad  Axe,  consequentl}' 
took  no  part  in  the  fight. 

The  defeat  of  Stillman,  on  Rock  river,  enabled 
Black  Hawk,  who  had  hitherto  held  his  warriors 
together,  to  resist  an  expected  attack  from  the  forces 
Tinder  Whiteside,  being  now  relieved  from  immedi- 
ate apprehension,  to  send  detached  parties  to  attack 
the  frontier  settlements.  As  soon  as  Shabona  was 
informed  of  the  situation,  he  hastened  to  inform  the 
settlers  at  the  points  exposed,  that  they  were  liable 
to  be  surprised  at  any  time  ;  it  was  on  the  loth  or 
16th  of  May  that  Shabona  visited  the  Indian  Creek 
settlement. 

Mr.  Hall  started  with  his  family  for  Ottawa,  but 
was  persuaded  b}^  Davis  to  stop  with  him,  so  that 
Hall,  Davis,  and  Petigrew,  with  their  families  and 
some  hired  hands,  were  all  stopping  with  Davis. 
Davis  was  a  Kentuckian,  a  large  and  powerful  man, 


BJacJ^  HaioJc  War.  95 

and  said  to  be  of  decided  courage.  He  leftliis  place 
and  went  to  Ottawa  for  safety  in  the  spring  of  1831, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  taunted  by  some  people  as 
Avanting  in  courage  ;  and  as  the  settlements  were  not 
disturbed  in  1831,  he  said  he  would  risk  the  Indians 
rather  than  again  be  taunted  with  cowardice  by  the 
Ottawa  people. 

They  were  attacked  b}^  seventy  or  eighty  Indians 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  of  May,  1832.  Fifteen 
were  killed,  and  two  girls,  83^1  via  HalJ,  aged  seven- 
teen, and  Rachel  Hall,  aged  fifteen,  were  taken  pris- 
oners ;  the  others  escaped  to  Ottawa.  The  details 
will  best  be  told  b}^  those  who  witnessed  them.  The 
following  statement,  made  by  John  W.  Hall,  and 
also  one  made  by  Sylvia  Horn,  and  Rachel  Munson, 
the  two  prisoners  taken  by  the  Indians,  are  inserted 
as  the  most  reliable  : 

STATEMENT   OF   J.  W.  HALL. 

Nemaha.  County,  Nebraska,  Sept.,  18G7. 

I,  John  W.  Hall,  being  requested  by  my  sisters,  Sylvia  Horn  and 
Rachel  Munson,  to  state  what  I  recollect  of  the  massacre  of  my 
father's  family  and  others,  and  captivity  of  my  two  sisters,  in  May, 
1832,  most  gladl}' compl}^  with  their  request.  The  lapse  of  thirty- 
five  years  has  made  my  memory  rather  dim,  but  there  are  some 
things,  which  I  will  relate,  which  I  remember  most  distinctly,  and 
shall  as  long  as  I  have  a  being. 

It  was  in  1832,  and,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  about  the  15th  or 
16th  day  of  May,  that  old  Shabona,  chief  of  the  Potowatomies, 
notified  my  father  and  others  that  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  would 
probably  make  a  raid  on  the  settlement  where  we  lived,  and  mur- 
der us,  and  destroy  our  property,  and  advised  him  to  leave  that  part 
of  the  country  for  a  place  of  safety.  But  Indian  rumors  were  so 
common,  and  some  of  our  neighbors  did  not  sufficiently  credit  this 
old  Indian,  and  we  were   advised   to   collect  as  many  together  as 


96  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

possible,  and  stand  our  ground  and  defend  ourselves  against  the 
Indians. 

So,  after  hiding  all  our  heavy  property,  and  loading  the  re- 
mainder and  the  family  on  to  the  vragon,  we  started  for  Ottawa, 
meeting  Mr.  Davis,  who  had  been  at  Ottawa  the  day  before,  and 
had  learned  that  a  company  had  gone  out  in  a  northerly  direction 
to  learn  of  the  Indian  movements,  and  would  report  on  their  re- 
turn in  case  of  danger.  My  father  was  prevailed  on  by  Davis  to 
abandon  his  retreat,  and  stop  at  Davis'  house,  where  Mr.  Petigrew 
and  family,  Mr.  Howard  and  son,  John  H.  Henderson  and  two 
hired  men  of  Davis',  Robert  Norris  and  Henry  George,  were  all 
stopping. 

On  the  20th  day  of  May,  myself  and  dear  father  were  at  work 
under  a  shed  adjoioing  a  blacksmith  shop,  on  the  west  side  next  to 
the  dwelling  house.  Mr.  Davis  and  Norris  were  at  work  in  the  shop, 
Henry  George  and  William  Davis,  Jr.,  were  at  work  on  a  mill-dam, 
a  little  south  of  the  shop.  It  bsiug  a  very  warm  day,  in  the  after- 
noon some  one  brought  a  bucket  of  water  from  the  spring  to  the 
shop,  and  we  all  went  into  the  shop  to  rest  a  few  minutes  and 
quench  our  thirst.  At  this  time  John  H.  Henderson,  Edward  and 
Greenbury  Hall,  Howard  and  son,  and  two  of  Davis'  sons,  were  in 
the  field  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek  in  full  view,  and  ab  ;ut  half 
a  mile  from  the  house,  planting  corn  ;  and  while  we  were  resting  in 
the  shop  we  heard  a  scream  at  the  house.  I  said:  "  There  are  the 
Indians  now  1  "  and  jumped  out  of  the  door,  it  being  on  the  opposite 
side  from  the  house,  and  the  others  followed  as  fast  as  they  could, 
and,  as  we  turned  the  corner  of  the  shop,  discovered  the  door- 
yard  full  of  Indians.  I  next  saw  the  Indians  jerk  Mr.  Petigrew's 
child,  four  or  five  3'ears  old,  taking  it  by  the  feet  and  dashing  its 
head  against  a  stump.  I  saw  Mr.  Petigrew,  and  heard  two  guns 
seemingly  in  the  house,  and  then  the  tomahawk  soon  ended  the 
cries  of  those  in  the  house,  and  immediately  they  fired  about 
twen*}^  shots  at  our  part}'  of  five,  but  neither  of  us  was  hurt  that  I 
know  of. 

Their  next  motion  was  to  pour  some  powder  down  their  guns,  and 
drop  a  bullet  out  of  their  mouths  and  raise  their  guns  and  fire. 
This  time  I  heard  a  short  sentence  of  prayer  to  my  right,  and  a  little 
behind.  On  turning  that  way,  I  saw  my  dear  father  on  the  ground, 
shot  in  the  left  breast,  and  dying,  and,  oa  looking  around,  I  saw 
the  last  of  the  company   were  gone   or  were  going.     The  luiians 


Black  Hawk  War.  97 

had  jumped  the  fence  and  were  making  towards  me.  Mr.  Davis 
was  running  in  a  northeast  direction  toward  the  timber  ;  he  looked 
back,  and  said,  "  Take  care;  "  he  had  his  gun  in  his  hand. 

I  at  this  time  discovered  quite  a  number  of  the  Indians  on  horse- 
back, in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  as  though  they  were  guarding  the 
house  to  prevent  any  escape.  Then  it  flashed  into  my  mind  tliat  I 
would  try  to  save  myself.  1  tliiuk  there  were  sixty  to  eighty  In- 
dians. I  immediately  turned  toward  the  creek,  which  was  fifteen 
or  twenty  steps  from  where  I  stood.  The  Indians  were  at  this  time 
within  a  few  paces  of  me,  with  their  guns  in  hand,  under  full 
charge.  I  jumped  down  the  bank  of  the  creek,  about  twelve  feet 
high,  which  considerablj'  stunned  me.  At  this  moment  the  third 
volley  was  fired,  the  balls  passing  over  my  head,  killing  Norris  and 
George,  who  were  ahead  of  me,  and  who  had  crossed  the  creek  to 
the  opposite  shore.  One  fell  in  the  water,  the  other  on  the  opposite 
bank.  I  then  passed  as  swiftly  as  possible  down  the  stream,  on 
the  side  next  the  Indians,  the  bank  hiding  me  from  their  view.  I 
passed  down  about  two  miles,  when  I  crossed  and  started  for  Ot- 
tawa, through  the  prairie,  and  overtook  Mr.  Henderson,  who 
started  ahead  of  me,  and  we  went  together  till  we  got  within  four 
miles  of  Ottawa,  where  we  fell  in  with  Mr.  Howard  and  son,  three 
sous  of  Mr.  Davis,  and  my  two  brothers,  all  of  whom  were  in  the 
field  referred  to,  except  one  of  Mr.  Davis'  sous,  who  was  with  us 
in  the  shop  when  the  alarm  was  given,  and  who  immediately  left 
when  he  heard  the  cry  of  Indians.  We  all  went  to  Ottawa  together 
and  gave  the  alarm. 

During  the  night  we  raised  a  company,  and  with  them  started  in 
the  morning  for  the  dreadful  scene  of  slaughter.  On  the  way  we 
met  some  of  Stillman's  defeated  troops,  they  having  camped  within 
four  miles  of  where  the  Indians  passed  the  night,  after  they  had 
killed  my  dear  friends.  They  refused  to  go  back  with  us,  and  help 
bury  the  dead,  but  passed  ou  to  Ottawa.  We  went  on  to  the  place 
where  the  massacre  took  place,  and  oh  !  what  a  sight  presented 
itself. 

There  were  some  with  their  hearts  cut  out,  and  others  cut  and 
lacerated  in  too  shocking  a  manner  to  mention,  or  behold  without 
shuddering.  We  buried  them  all  in  great  haste,  in  one  grave, 
without  coffins  or  anything  of  the  kind,  there  to  remain  till  Ga- 
briel's trump  shall  call  to  life  the  sleeping  dead. 

We  then  returned  to  Ottawa,  and  organized  a  company  out  of  a 


98  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

few  citizens  and  Stillman's  defeated  troop?,  into  ■which  companj^  I 
enlisted,  and  the  next  day  were  on  the  line  of  march,  in  pursuit  of 
the  savages,  and  if  possible,  to  get  possession  of  my  two  eldest 
sisters,  who  were  missing,  and  who,  we  were  satisfied,  had  been 
carried  away  by  the  Indians,  from  signs  found  on  their  trail.  AVe 
went  as  far  as  Rock  river,  when  onr  provisions  failed,  and  we  re- 
turned to  Ottawa  for,  and  laid  in,  provisions  for  a  second  trip.  I 
found  that  Gen.  Atkinson  had  made  propositions  to  the  Winnebago 
Indians,  through  the  agent,  Mr.  Gratiot,  to  purchase  my  sisters,  as 
we  were  fearful  if  we  approached  the  Indians,  they  would  kill 
them,  to  prevent  their  capture.  We  then  started  the  second  time, 
and  proceeded  to  Rock  river,  where  we  fell  in  with  a  company  of 
volunteers,  under  Gen.  Dodge,  when  we  learned  that  the  friendly 
Indians  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  my  sisters,  and  that  the}'  were 
at  White  Oak  Springs.  1  went  with  a  company  of  regulars  to  Ga- 
lena, and  obtaining  a  furlough,  went  to  White  Oak  Springs,  where 
I  found  my  sisters,  and  returned  with  them  to  Galena. 

(Signed)  J.  W.  Hall. 

The  remainder  of  the  narrative  of  J.  W.  Hall  is 
omitted,  as  it  is  substantially  embraced  in  that  of 
the  Misses  Hall,  Avhicli  follows. 

Statement  made  bv  the  former  Misses  Hall,  now 
Mrs.  Horn  and  Mrs.  Munson,  in  presence  of,  and  by 
request  of,  their  husbands,  of  the  massacre  of  their 
family  and  others,  on  the  20th  of  May,  1832,  on  In- 
dian creek,  in  La  Salle  County,  and  of  their  captivity 
and  rescue  from  the  Indians  : 

STATEMENT. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  of  M^',  1832,  we  were  alarmed  by 
Indians  rushing  suddenly  into  the  room  where  we  were  staying. 
The  house  was  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  Indian  creek.  Here 
lived  our  father,  William  Hall,  aged  45;  our  mother,  aged  45;  and 
six  children — John  W.,  aged  23;  Edward  H.,  aged  21;  Grcenbury, 
aged  19;  Sylvia,  aged  17;  Rachel,  aged  15;  and  Elizabeth,  aged  8. 
The  house  belonged  to  William  Davis,  whose  family  consisted  of 
nine  in  all  ;   Mr.  Petigrew,  wife  and  two  children.    These  fami- 


Blaclt  Haio'k  War.  ^^ 


lies  were  staying  together  for  the  better  protection  of  each  other 
from  the  Indians.  John  H.  Henderson,  Henry  George,  and  Robert 
Norris,  were  also  stopping  at  the  same  house. 

Henderson,  Alexander,  and  AVm.  Davis,  Jr.,  Edward  and  Greeu- 
bury  Hall,  and  Allen  Howard,  were  in  the  field,   about  100  rods 
south  of  the  house.     Wm.  Hall,  Wm.  Davis,  John  W.  Hall,  and 
Norris  and   George,  were  in   a  blacksmith  shop,   sixty  or  eighty 
steps  from  the  house,  down  the  creek,  near  the  bank,  and  near  the 
north  end  of  a  mill-dam,  which  was  being  built.    Petigrew,  who 
was  in  the  house,  with  a  child  in  his  arms,  when  the  Indians  came 
to  the  door,  sprang  to  shut  the  door,  but  failed  to  do  it.     He  was 
shot   and  fell  in  the  house.     Mrs.  Petigrew  had  her  arms  around 
Rachel  when  she  was  shot,  the  powder  flying  in  Rachel's  face.     We 
were  trying  to  hide,  but  could  find  no  place  to  get  to.    We  were  on  the 
bed  when  the  Indians  caught  us,  took  us  out  into  the  yard,  and  tak- 
ino-'us  by  the  arms,  hurried  us  away  as  fast  as  possible,  and  while  go- 
ing we  saw  an  Indian  take  Petigrew's  child  by  the  feet  and  dash  its 
head  against  a  stump  ;  and  Davis'  little  boy  was  shot  by  an  Indian, 
two  other  Indians  holding  the  boy  by  each  hand.     We  passed  on  to 
the  creek,  about  eighty  steps,  when  they  dragged  Rachel  into  the 
creek  and  half  way  across,  when  they  came  back  ;  then  they  got  us 
together  and  hurried  us  up  the  creek,  on  the  north  side,  being  the 
same  side  the  house  was  on,  to  where  the  Indians  had  left  their 
horses,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  house.     Here  we  found 
the  Indians  had  father's  horses,  and  some  belonging  to  the  neigh- 
bors tied  up  with  their  ponies.     We  were  mounted  each  on  a  pony, 
with  an  Indian  saddle,  and  placed  near  the  centre  of  the  proces- 
sion, each  of  our  ponies  being  led,  and  receiving  occasionally  a 
lash 'of  the  whip  from  some  one  behind.     We  supposed  there  were 
about  forty  warriors,  there  being  no  squaws,  in  this  party. 

We  traveled  till  late  in  the  night,  when  the  party  halted  about 
two  hours,  the  Indians  danced  a  little,  holding  their  ponies  by  the 
bridle  We  rested  on  some  blankets  and  were  permitted  to  sit 
too-ether  •,  then  we  were  remounted  and  traveled  in  the  same 
order  until  one  or  two  o'clock  next  day,  when  they  halted  again 
near  some  bushes  not  far  from  a  grove  of  timber  on  our  right. 
Before  we  stopped,  Rachel  made  signs  that  she  was  tired,  and 
they  took  her  ofE  and  let  her  walk,  and  while  walking  she  was 
forced  to  wade  a  stream  about  three  feet  deep.  Here  we  rested 
about  two  hours  while  the  ponies  picked  a  little  grass,   and  some 


100  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

beans  were  scalded  by  the  Indians  and  some  acorns  roasted.  The 
Indians  ate  heartily,  and  we  tried,  but  could  not,  as  we  expected  to 
fare  as  our  friends  liad,  or  worse.  After  resting  we  were  packed  up 
as  usual,  and  traveled  awhile,  when  some  of  the  Indians  left  us 
for  some  time;  when  they  returned  we  were  hurried  on  at  a  rapid 
rate  for  some  live  miles,  while  the  Indians  that  were  following  had 
their  spears  drawn  and  we  supposed  the  party  when  absent  had  seen 
some  whites,  and  that  if  we  were  overtaken  they  would  destroy  us. 
After  about  an  hour  they  slackened  their  speed,  and  rode  on  as  usual 
till  near  sundown,  when  the  whole  party  halted  for  the  night,  and 
having  built  a  fire  they  required  us  to  burn  some  tobacco  and  corn 
meal  which  was  placed  in  our  hands,  which  we  did,  not  knowing 
why  we  did  so,  except  to  obey  them.  We  supposed  it  was  to  show 
that  they  had  been  successful  in  their  undertaking. 

They  then  prepared  supper,  consisting  of  dried  meat  sliced,  coflee 
boiled  in  a  copper  kettle,  corn  pounded  and  made  into  a  kind  of 
soup.     They  gave  us  some  in  wooden  bowds  with  wooden  ladles;  we 
took  some  but  did  not  relish  it.     After  supper  they  held  a   dance, 
and  after  that  we  were  conducted  to  a  tent  or  wigwam,  and  a  squaw 
placed  on  each   side  of  us,  where  we  remained   during  the  night, 
sleeping  what  we  could,    which  was  very  little.      The    Indians 
kept  stirring  all  night.     In  the   morning,   breakfast  the   same   as 
supper  ;   that    over,    they   cleared  off   a  piece  of    ground    aboutj 
ninet}^  feet  in    circumference    and  placed   a   pole  about  twenty- 
five  Jeet  high  in  the  centre  and  fifteen  or  twenty  spears  set  up  around 
the  pole;  on  the  top  of  the  spears  were  placed  the  scalp^^  of  our  mur- 
dered friends  ;  father's,  mother's  and  Mrs.  Petigrew's  were  recog- 
nized by  us.     There  were  also  two  or  tliree  hearts  placed  on  separate 
spears.    The  squaws,  under  the  direction  of  the  warriors,  as  we  sup- 
ppsed  from  their  jabbering,  painted  one  side  of  our  faces  black  and 
the  other  red,  and  seated  us  on  our  blankets  near  the  pole,  just  leav- 
ing room  enough  for  the  Indians  to  pass  between  us  and  the  pole  ; 
then  the  warriors  commenced  to  dance  around  us,  with  their  spears 
in  their  hands,  and  occasionally  sticking  them  in  the  ground;  and 
now  we  expected  at  every  round  the  spears  would  be  thrust  through 
us,  and  our  troubles  be  brought  to  an  end.     But  no  hostile  demon- 
stration was  made  toward  us,  and  after  they  had  continued  their 
dance  about  half  an  hour  or  more,  two  old  squaws  led  us  away  to 
one  of  the  wigwams  and  washed  the  paint  off  our  faces  as  well 
as  they  could.     Then   the  whole  camp   struck  tents,  and   started 
north,  while  the  whole  earth  seemed  to  be  alive  with  Indians. 


Black  Hawk  War.  101 


This  being  the  third  day  of  our  suffering,  we  were  very  much 
exhausted,  and  still  we  must  obey  our  savage  masters,  and  now 
■while  traveling  we  were  separated  from  each  other  during  traveling 
hours,  under  charge  of  two  squaws  to  each  of  us,  being  permitted 
to  stay  together  when  not  on  the  march,  under  the  direction  of 
our  four  squaws. 

We  now  traveled  slowly  over  rough  barren  prairies  until  near 
sundown,  when  we  camped  again,  being  left  with  our  four  squaws 
with  whom  we  were  al-ways  in  company,  day  or  night,  they  sleeping 
on  each  side  of  us  during  the  night. 

The  warriors  held  another  dance,  but  not  around  us.  Here  we 
had  all  the  maple  sugar  we  desired,  and  the  Indians  made  as  good 
accommodations  for  us  as  they  could . 

About  this  time  our  dresses  were  changed.     The  one  furnished 
Rachel  was  red   and  white   calico,    ruffled    around    the  bottom. 
Sylvia's  was  blue.     They  tried  to  gc  t  us  to  throw  away  our  shoes, 
and  put  on  moccasins,  which  we  would  not  do.     They  also  threw 
away  Rachel's  comb,  and  she  went  and  got  it  again,  and  kept  it. 
We  then  traveled  and  camped  about  as  usual  till  the  seventh  day, 
when  the  Indians  came  and  took  Sylvia  on  to  the  side  of  a  hill 
about  forty  rods  away,  where  they  seemed  to  have  been  holding  a 
council.     One  of  the  Indians  said  that  Sylvia  must  go  with  an  old 
Indian,  who  we  afterward^  learned  was  the  chief  of  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  and  was  called  White  Crow,  and  was  blind  in  one  eye  ;   and 
that  Rachel  must  remain  with  the   Indians  she  had  been  with. 
Sylvia  said  she  could   not  go  unless  Rachel  went   too.      White 
Crow  then  got  up  and  made  a  long  and  loud  speech,  and  seemed 
very  much  in  earnest.     After  he  had  concluded,  an  Indian,  who 
called  himself  Whirling  Thunder,  went  and  brought  Rachel  to 
where  Sylvia  was,  and  the  chiefs  shook  hands  together,  and  horses 
were  brought,  and  switches  cut  to  whip  them  with,  and  we  were 
both  mounted,  when  one  of  the  Sauk  Indians  stepped  up  to  Rachel 
and  with  a  large  knife  cut    a  lock  of  hair  off  of  her  head  over 
the  right  ear,  and  another  from  off  the  back  of  her  head,  and  told 
White  Crow  he  would  have  her  back  in  three  or  four  days.    Another 
one  cut  a  lock  of  hair  from  the  front  part  of  Sylvia's  head.    Then 
we  started,  and  rode  at  a  rapid  rate  until  the  next  morning  near 
daylight,  when  w-e  halted  at  the  encampment  of  the  Winnebagoes.    A 

bed  was  prepared  on  a  low  scaffold  with  blankets  and  furs,  and  we 

lay  down  till  after  daylight.     After  breakfast  the  whole  encamp- 


102  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

ment  packed  up,  and  placed  us  with  themselves  in  canoes,  and  we 
traveled  all  day  until  nearly  sundown  b)'  water,  and  camped  on  the 
bank  of  the  stream,  the  name  of  which  we  never  knew,  neither 
can  we  tell  whether  we  traveled  up  or  down. 

On  the  mornini!;  of  the  ninth  day  we  had  breakfast  verj'  early, 
after  which  White  Crow  went  round  to  each  wigwam  as  far  as  we 
could  see,  and  stood  at  the  opening,  holding  a  gourd  with  pebbles 
in  it,  shaking  it  and  occasionally  talking  as  if  lecturing  ;  then  went 
off  and  was  gone  all  day.  He  came  back  at  night,  and  for  the  first 
time  spoke  to  us  in  Euglish,  and  asked  if  father  or  mother  were 
alive,  and  whether  we  had  any  brothers  or  sisters.  We  told  him 
we  thought  not,  for  we  supposed  they  were  all  killed.  When  he 
heard  this  he  looked  very  sorry,  and  shook  his  head,  and  then  in- 
formed us  that  he  was  going  to  take  us  home  in  the  morning. 

Next  morning,  being  the  tenth  day.  White  Crow  went  through 
the  same  performance  as  on  the  morning  of  the  previous  day.  Then 
twenty-six  of  the  Winnebagos  went  with  us  into  the  canoes,  and 
crossed  over  the  stream,  swimming  their  horses  by  the  side  of  the 
canoes.  On  the  other  shore  all  were  mounted  on  the  ponies,  and 
traveled  all  day  through  wet  land,  sloughs,  and  brush.  At  night 
we  came  to  where  there  were  two  or  three  families  encamped. 
Thej^  expressed  great  joy  at  seeing  us.  Here  we  encamped  for  the 
night — White  Crow  and  Whirling  Thunder  with  us.  We  had 
pickled  pork,  potatoes,  coffee,  and  bread  for  us  and  the  two  chiefs, 
which  we  relished  better  than  anything  we  had  had  since  our  captiv- 
ity. We  lay  down  on  the  bed  prepared  for  us,  and  White  Crow  came 
and  sat  down  by  our  bed  and  commenced  smoking,  and  continued 
there  smoking  his  pipe  most  of  the  time  till  morning,  never  going  to 
sleep,  as  we  believe.  Next  morning  had  breakfast  same  as  supper  ; 
the  Indian  families  bade  us  good  bye,  and  the  same  company  of 
twenty-six  Indians,  as  the  day  before,  started  with  us,  and  we 
traveled  over  land  that  seemed  to  be  higher  than  that  traveled  the 
day  before.  About  ten  a.  m.,  we  came  to  some  old  tracks  of  a  wagon, 
and  here  for  the  first  time  we  began  to  have  some  hopes  that  the 
Indians  were  going  to  convey  us  home,  as  they  said  they  would  do  ; 
and  as  we  passed  on  we  began  to  see  more  and  more  signs  of  civiliza- 
tion. About  three  o'clock  we  stopped  and  had  some  dinner — 
broiled  venison  and  boiled  ducks'  eggs,  and  if  they  had  not  been 
boiled  so  soon  the  young  ducks  would  have  made  their  appearance. 
But  the  Indians  would  never  starve  if  they  could  get  young  ducks 
boiled  in  the  shell. 


Black  HawJc  War.  103 

We  then  traveled  on  till  near  the  fort,  at  the  Blue  Mounds. 
White  Crow  then  took  Rachel's  Avhite  handkerchief,  or  that  had 
once  been  white,  and  raised  it  for  a  flag,  on  a  pole,  rode  on  about 
half  a  mile,  and  halted,  and  the  Indians  formed  a  ring  around  us, 
and  White  Crow  went  on  and  met  the  agent  for  the  Winnebagoes, 
Mr.  Henry  Gratiot,  with  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  returned  to 
where  we  were.  White  Crow  then  delivered  us  over  to  the  care  of 
the  agent,  and  we  went  with  him  and  the  soldiers  to  the  fort.  To 
our  great  joy,  we  found  two  of  our  uncles,  Edward  Hall,  and 
Reason  Hall,  in  the  company.  We  remained  here  one  day  and  two 
nights,  and  were  supplied  with  a  change  of  clothing.  It  was  now 
about  the  first  of  June.  We  started,  in  company  with  the  same 
twenty-six  Indians,  and  a  company  of  soldiers,  with  the  Indian 
agent,  Mr.  Gratiot,  for  Gratiot's  Grove,  where  we  remained  over 
night.  Next  morning.  White  Crow  made  a  speech,  in  which  he 
referred  to  the  incidents  of  our  rescue  ;  he  also  proposed  to  give 
each  of  us  a  Sauk  Squaw,  for  a  servant,  during  life,  which  we 
declined,  telling  him  we  did  not  desire  to  wrong  the  squaws.  Here 
we  parted  with  the  Indians,  who  bid  final  adieu,  and  with  the 
troops,  we  went  on  to  White  Oak  Springs  ;  here  we  remained  three 
or  four  days,  and  here  our  dear  brother,  J.  W.  Hall,  whom  we 
supposed  murdered,  met  us.  We  remained  here  two  or  three 
weeks,  and  the  merchants  and  others,  who  seemed  to  take  a  great 
interest  in  us,  furnished  the  materials  for  some  clothing,  which  we 
made  up,  preparatory  to  passing  decently  through  the  country,  and 
we  regret  not  being  able  to  recollect  the  names  of  those  kind 
friends,  as  a  testimony  of  their  kindness  in  our  distressed  con- 
dition. May  the  blessings  of  Heaven  rest  upon  them  all.  From 
this  place  we  went  with  Brother  John  W.,  and  Uncle  Edward  Hall, 
to  Galena  ;  here  we  stayed  some  days,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Bells, 
with  whom  we  had  some  acquaintance.  While  here,  we  received 
rations  from  the  army.  We  also  found  kind  friends  in  abundance, 
and  donations  in  clothing,  and  other  things,  and  needed  nothing  to 
make  us  comfortable  as  possible  under  such  circumstances.  All 
those  friends  have  our  thanks.  We  went  by  boat  from  Galena  to 
St.  Louis,  where  we  stopped  with  Gov.  Clark,  and  received  every 
attention  and  kindness  from  him  and  his  family.  Here  we  re- 
ceived many  presents,  and  through  the  influence  of  Gov.  Clark, 
four  hundred  and  seventy  dollars  were  raised  for  our  benefit,  to  be 
laid  out  in  land,  and  intrusted  to  the  care  of  Rev.  R.  Horn,  of  Cass 


lOi  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Count}-,  Illiaois,  -which  was  done  at  our  request.  "We  also  received 
smaller  amounts  to  pay  our  expenses  up  the  river,  homeward.  We 
cau  only  express  our  thanks  to  tbese  kind  friends  for  their  gene- 
rosity. In  company  with  brotlier  John  W.,  and  uncle  Edward 
Hall,  who  had  been  with  us  since  we  left  the  Blue  Mounds,  we  took 
a  boat  up  the  Illinois  river,  to  Beardstown,  and  out  five  miles  east, 
to  our  uncle,  Robert  Scott,  where  we  remained  about  two  months, 
when  brother  .John  W.  Hall  took  us  to  Brown  County,  where  we 
remained  till  March,  1833,  when  Rachel  was  married  to  William 
Munson,  and  settled  near  the  scene  of  her  parents'  tragic  fate,  in 
La  Salle  County;  and  in  May,  1833,  Sylvia  was  married  to  William 
S.  H  )rn,  and  removed  to  Cass  County,  Illinois. 

This  statement  is  made  at  the  home  of  Sylvia,  in  Nebraska, 
where  Rachel  and  her  husband  are  visiting,  and  committed  to 
writing  by  IMr.  Horn,  Sylvia's  husband,  the  seventh  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1867. 

(Signed)  Sylvia  Horn. 

Rachel  Munson. 

It  will  be  observed  by  the  reader,  that  Mrs.  Horn 
and  Mrs.  Miinson,  in  their  narrative,  give  a  simple 
statement  of  the  facts  almost  entirely  without  com- 
menr,  or  a  recital  of  their  own  emotions  during  the 
terrible  ordeal  through  which  the}^  passed.  Perhaps 
they  were  wise  in  doing  so.  No  language  could 
convey  any  adequate  idea  of  what  their  mental  suf- 
fering must  have  been  in  witnessing  the  more  than 
tragic  death  of  their  family  and  friends — and  of  the 
fearful  uncertainty  that  for  days  hung  over  their 
own  destiny,  held  as  they  were  helplessly  in  the 
power  of  those  whose  hands  were  still  red  with  the 
blood  of  their  kindred.  They  might  well  suppose 
that  the  sympathizing  reader  could  better  know  what 
their  sufferings  must  have  been  than  they  could 
describe  them. 

It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  they  were  very  kindly 


Black  Hawk  War.  105 


treated,  and  made  as  comfortable  as  their  savage 
captors  had  the  means  of  doing,  but  their  sufferings 
from  the  terrible  scenes  they  had  witnessed,  the 
siglit  of  the  still  green  scalps  of  their  beloved  parents, 
and  their  fearful  forebodings  of  the  unknown  future, 
could  be  but  slightly  compensated  by  any  such 
kindnesses. 

The  foregoing  statement  of  John  W.  Hall  and  his 
captive  sisters,  gives  the  manner  of  the  death  of 
but  seven  of  the  number  that  were  slain.  It  is 
probably  all  that  is  really  known,  as  John  W.  was 
really  the  last  that  left  the  scene  ;  he  and  a  son  of 
Davis  were  the  only  ones  that  escaped  from  where 
the  men  were  at  work. 

None  escaped  alive  from  the  house  but  the  captive 
girls.  Davis'  son  who  escaped,  left  at  the  lirst  alarm, 
and  doubtless  knew  nothing  of  what  followed. 
Many  statements  regarding  it  have  been  made,  some 
with  apparent  probability.  One  is,  that  Davis  was 
last  seen  with  a  naked  gun  barrel  in  his  hand,  in  a 
hand-to-hand  conflict  with  the  Indians,  and  dealing 
heavy  blows  right  and  left  among  the  large  number 
surrounding  him ;  of  this,  no  one  then  present  has  tes- 
tified ;  but  he  was  last  seen  with  his  gun  in  his  hand 
running  toward  the  timber,  and  the  fact  that  his  gun 
barrel  was  found  divested  of  the  stock  and  badly 
bent,  leaves  little  doubt  that  it  met  with  some  se- 
vere usage  in  the  struggle.  It  may  be  the  Indians 
destroyed  it,  not  being  able  to  carry  it  away.  It  is 
said  he  killed  three  Indians,  which  may  or  may  not 
be  true ;  there  were  no  signs  of  any  dead  Indians 
found,  but  as  they  were  not  piirsued,  they  would  of 


8 


106  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

course,  as  is  their  custom,  take  away  all  their  killed 
and  wounded,  if  there  were  any.  Davis  was  a  pow- 
erful man,  and  something  of  a  pugilist,  and  doubt- 
less would  fight  desperately  if  he  had  a  chance,  but 
against  so  large  a  number  of  enemies  his  chances 
single-handed  were  small,  and  the  probability  is,  he 
did  not  attempt  it. 

The  Government  and  all  parties  showed  a  com- 
mendable sympathy  and  prompt  effort  to  rescue 
the  captives.  The  Government  paid  about  $2,000, 
mostly  in  ponies,  for  their  ransom. 

KILLING  OF  SCIIERMERIIORN,  HAZLETOlSr,  PAINE,  AND 

BARESFORD. 

For  some  days  after  the  massacre  at  Indian  creek 
the  settlers  stayed  close  in  the  forts  at  Ottawa  and 
Fort  Wilburn  at  Peru.  But  as  no  Indians  were 
seen,  they  cautiously  ventured  to  take  more  libert}^ ; 
and  as  the  scouts  sent  out  discovered  no  signs  of  the 
enemy,  they  grew  more  bold,  with  the  result  nar- 
rated below.  The  settlers,  who  had  hurriedly  left 
their  homes  when  the  alarm  was  first  given,  were 
anxious  to  recover  some  stock  and  other  property 
left,  provided  it  had  escaped  the  notice  of  the  In- 
dians. 

For  this  purpose  an  expedition  was  organized  at 
Ottawa,  accompanied  by  a  company  of  soldiers,  to 
visit  Ilolderman's  Grove  and  points  along  Fox 
river.  The  soldiers,  and  others  who  were  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  went  by  the  way  of  Brown's 
Ford,  and  up  the  east  side  of  the  Fox,  while  a  Mr. 
Schermerhorn   and  his   son-in-law,   Hazleton,    who 


Black  Hawk  War.  107 

were  on  the  north  side  of  the  Illinois,  went  by  the 
way  of  Dayton,  and,  crossing  the  Fox  at  that  point, 
expected  to  meet  the  expedition  on  the  road  east  of 
Dayton,  but  made  the  point  about  a  mile  behind 
them.  They  followed  on,  and  in  passing  round  the 
field  near  where  Wm.Dunnavan  now  lives, discovered 
a  party  of  Indians,  and  turned  and  fled  toward 
Ottawa.  A  soldier,  who  had  fallen  behind  his  com- 
rades, met  them  at  the  south  side  of  the  field,  and 
also  fled,  pursued  by  about  a  dozen  Indians.  The 
Indians  did  not  fire  on  them,  probably  from  fear  of 
alarming  the  soldiers,  but  threw  their  spears,  one 
passing  just  under  and  another  just  over  his  horse's 
neck,  barely  missing  the  soldier,  who  escaped  to 
Ottawa  and  gave  the  alarm„  Schermerhorn  and 
Hazleton  were  both  killed  and  scalped,  and  their 
horses  taken.  From  the  place  where  the  soldier  left 
them,  the  track  of  the  wagon  circled  to  the  right  to- 
ward the  timber  (where  David  Grove  now  lives),  the 
tracks  of  the  Indians'  ponies  being  south  of  the 
wagon  track.  The  wagon  was  found  against  a  tree 
on  the  edge  of  the  ravine,  nearly  north  of  Mr. 
Grove's  house.  The  tree  is  still  standing.  Scher- 
merhorn s  body  was  lying  by  the  fore-wheels  of  the 
wagon,  and  Hazleton' s  twenty-five  or  thirty  rods 
below,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  ravine  ;  he  appears 
to  have  fled  after  Schermerhorn  was  killed,  and 
been  overtaken  or  shot  where  found.  A  small  scalp 
was  taken  from  the  head  of  Hazleton,  but  Schermer- 
horn, being  nearly  bald,  was  flayed  to  the  neck. 

The  same  day,  Capt.   James  McFadden,  who  was 
commander  of  a  company  of  home  guards  organized 


108  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

in  Ottawa,  James  Baresford,  and  Ezekiel  and  Daniel 
Warren,  were  on  the  south  side  of  the  Indian  creek 
timber,  picking  strawberries.  Thej'  had  been  thus 
enorased  for  some  time,  when  the  Warrens  remarked 
that  the}"  were  too  near  the  bushes  that  skirted  tlie 
timber,  as  Indians  might  be  concealed  there,  and 
mounted  their  horses  and  rode  off. 

The  others  remained  a  short  time,  and  had  just 
mounted  their  horses  wlien  they  were  fired  on  by 
about  a  dozen  Indians,  doubtless  the  same  that 
killed  Schermerhorn  and  Hazleton.  Baresford  was 
killed  and  McFadden  shot  through  the  ancle,  the 
same  ball  passing  through  the  body  of  his  horse,  but 
the  faithful  animal  carried  him  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  Indian  rities,  and  then  fell.  The  AVarrens 
came  to  his  assistance,  and  one  of  them  dismounted 
and  gave  the  wounded  man  his  horse,  with  the 
agreement  that  if  the  Indians  pursued,  and  were 
likely  to  overtake  the  one  on  foot.  Warren  should 
have  the  horse  and  McFadden  should  yield  his 
scalp  to  the  foe.  There  have  always  been  men  in 
the  world  who.  if  placed  in  the  position  of  McFad- 
den, and  the  Indians  had  pursued,  would  have  hes- 
itated as  to  fulfilling  that  agreement.  But  the  In- 
dians  did  not  pursue,  and  the  three  escaped.  Other 
versions  of  McFadden' s  escape  are  given,  but  all 
agree  in  the  main  facts  of  the  unfortunate  affair-. 

Adam  Paine,  a  Dunkard  preacher,  who  had 
labored  occasionally  among  the  Indians,  left  Chicago 
to  o-o  to  Ottawa,  and  below.  He  was  advised  that 
he  run  a  desperate  risk,  as  the  country  was  in  the 
possession  of  hostile  Indians,  who  would  likely  take 


Black  Hawk  War.  109 


his  scalp.  But  lie  thought  the  Indians  would  re- 
spect him,  on  account  of  his  acquaintance  and 
labors  among  them.  He  wore  a  very  long  and  full 
beard,  then  a  great  curiosity.  All  that  is  known  of 
his  journey  is,  that  his  head  was  found,  stuck  upon 
a  pole,  by  the  roadside,  and  his  body  was  found  and 
buried,  by  a  compan}^  of  Indiana  militia,  on  the 
prairie  between  Holderman's  Grove  and  Marseilles. 
These  were  the  only  casualties  from  the  Indians, 
after  the  massacre  at  Indian  Creek. 

SITUATION    AT   THE    CLOSE    OF    THE    WAR. 

The  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  in  the  summer 
of  1832,  found  the  settlers  in  embarrassed  circum- 
stances. In  the  north  part  of  the  county  the  crops 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  all  the  farms 
had  necessarily  been  neglected,  while  tlie  owners 
were  in  the  army,  or  seeking  shelter  in  the  fort. 
Still,  some  raised  tolerable  crops,  and  there  was  no 
suffering.  In  1833,  as  it  was  understood  that  the 
Indian  troubles  were  fully  settled,  emigrants  came 
in  quite  rapidly.  The  demand  for  provisions  of  all 
kinds,  and  for  everything  raised  by  the  settlers,  was 
fully  equal  to  the  supply,  and  for  some  articles,  in 
excess,  the  deficiency  being  supplied  by  the  boats 
in  the  river  trade.  Prices  were  high,  as  they  always 
are  where  the  demand  exceeds  the  supply,  and  were 
everywhere  becoming  infiated,  as  the  speculative 
times  of  1835-6-7  were  approached. 

The  farmers  of  Illinois  have  never  seen  more  pros- 
perous times  than  the  settlers  enjoyed  from  the  close 
of  the  Black  Hawk  war  to  1837 — that  is,  those  who 


110  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

had  farms  under  improvement,  and  produce  to  sell, 
while  those  who  were  making  improvements  had  to 
buy  at  such  price  as  the  older  settlers  saw  lit  to  ask. 
Wheat  was  about  two  dollars  per  bushel ;  corn  and 
oats,  one  dollar  to  one  dollar  and  a  half  ;  though  the 
prices  varied  in  different  neighborhoods,  as  the  pro- 
portion of  old  or  new  comers  ]Dreponderated, 

All  new  comers  were  consumers,  and  not  pro- 
ducers, for  the  first  year  or  two,  unless  they  bought 
an  improved  farm,  and  that  reduced  their  depend- 
ence upon  the  funds  they  brought  with  them,  to  one 
year's  living  expenses.  But  a  poor  man  could 
always  find  emplo^anent,  and  if  he  arrived  here 
without  money  he  could  get  provisions  for  his  family 
and  pay  in  labor,  as  labor  was  the  great  need  of  the 
country.  He  could  buy  anything  the  countr}^  con- 
tained with  labor.  Building  houses,  stables,  pens, 
and  yards,  making  rails,  fencing,  and  breaking 
prairie,  called  for  stout  and  willing  hands.  A 
good  worker  was  a  great  acquisition,  but  a  drone 
had  no  place  among  the  hardy  pioneers. 

There  are  many  subjects  connected  with  the  occu- 
pancy and  settlement  of  a  new  country  not  con- 
tained in  the  narrative  of  passing  events.  The  next 
few  pages  will  be  occupied  with  miscellaneous 
articles  of  personal  narrative ;  biography  of  the 
Indian  chief,  Shabona,  the  friend  of  the  whites  ;  and 
usages  and  customs  of  the  pioneers. 

SHABOWA. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  remember  the  large  and 
manly  form  of  Shabona,  the  old  Indian  chief,  who 


Black  HawJc  War.  HI 


spent  the  last  few  years  of  liis  life  in  this  vicinity, 
and  often  visited  Ottawa  and  other  parts  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  chief  of  the  Pottawatomie  In- 
dians, who  lived  in  the  vicinity,  and  was  well  known 
to  the  early  settlers.  His  kindness  and  friendship 
for  the  whites,  and  the  timely  warning  he  gave  them 
to  escape  from  the  murderous  fury  of  Black  Hawk 
and  his  tribe,  has  endeared  his  memory  to  the  early 
pioneers  and  their  descendants.  And  it  is  but  fitting 
that  the  history  that  perpetuates  the  memory  of  the 
whites  of  that  day,  should  carry  with  it  some  brief 
recollection  of  their  Indian  friend. 

Shabona  was  physically  a  noble  specimen  of  his 
race— over  six  feet  in  height,  and  large  in  propor- 
tion ;  erect,  and  commanding  in  his  bearing,  he  at 
once  inspired  respect. 

He  had  been  a  distinguished  warrior,  but  evidently 
was  disposed  to  the  more  quiet  pursuits  of  peace. 
He  was  honest,  truthful,  and  trustworthy,  and  ex- 
hibited most  of  the  virtues,  and  few  of  the  vices  of 
the  red  man,  when  brought  in  contact  with  civiliza- 
tion. He  was  of  the  Ottawa  tribe,  and  was  born  on 
the  banks   of  the  Ottawa  river,  in  Canada,   about 

1775. 

The  Ottawas  were  the  leading  tribe  of  the  great 
Algonquin  family,  which  embraces  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies,  etc.,  who  had  a 
common  origin  and  similar  language. 

When  quite  a  young  man,  Shabona  emigrated 
with  a  portion  of  his  tribe  to  Michigan  ;  was  a 
friend  and  companion  of  the  great  Tecumseh,  and 
was  his  aid,  and  was  fighting  by  his  side  when  that 


112  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

great  warrior  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames, 
in  1813.  Shabona  said,  when  Tecnmseh  fell  he 
looked  about  and  saw  the  British  all  running,  the 
Indians  all  running,  and  then  he  ran  too.  From 
that  time  he  forsook  the  alliance  of  the  British, 
and  became  the  friend  of  the  United  States. 

All  of  the  Algonquin  tribes  were  under  French 
influence,  and  took  sides  with  them  in  all  their 
wars  with  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies,  and 
when  the  French  possessions,  by  the  treat}'-  of  1763, 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Great  Britain,  they  mostly 
took  sides  with  Great  Britain  against  the  United 
States,  and  their  defeat  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames  partially,  at  least,  separated  the  North- 
western Indians  from  British  influence. 

Shabona  became  peace-chief  of  the  Pottawato- 
mies,  from  which  tribe  he  is  said  to  have  procured 
his  wife,"  He  opposed  Black  Hawk's  proposed 
war  on  the  whites,  and  prevented  the  Pottawato- 
mies  from  joining  the  Sauks  ;  and  when  he  found 
the  war  inevitable  he  lost  no  time  in  warning  the 
settlers  of  La  Salle  and  adjoining  counties  of  their 
danger,  and  thus  saved  many  valuable  lives.  The 
settlers  at  Indian  Creek  were  warned  by  Shabona 
in  ample  time  to  have  reached  a  place  of  safety, 
but  his  advice  was  unheeded,  and  i\\ej  paid  the 
penalty  with  their  lives. 

He  effectually  aided  the  whites  in  that  contest, 
and  in  consideration  of  his  services  the  Government 
reserved  a  tract  of  land  for  his  use  at  Shabona' s 
Grove,  in  what  is  now  De  Kalb  County,  and  gave 
him  a  pension  of  $200. 


Black  Hawk  War .  113 


In  1837,  when  the  last  of  his  tribe  removed  on  to 
a  reservation  west  of  the  Mississippi,  Shabona  went 
with  them,  but  was  not  satisfied,  and  returned  with 
his  family — children  and  grandchildren,  thirty  per- 
sons in  all — on  to  his  reservation.  At  the  solicita- 
tion of  his  tribe,  he  again  went  West  ;  but  his 
residence  there  was  an  unquiet  one.  His  favorite 
son  was  killed  in  a  difficulty  with  some  of  the 
Sauks.  who  had  a  reservation  in  the  vicinity.  The 
difficulty  is  said  to  have  grown  out  of  the  aid  Sha- 
bona rendered  the  whites  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
which  was  remembered  by  the  Sauks,  in  true  Indian 
fashion. 

With  his  family  he  returned  to  Illinois  in  1855, 
and  remained  till  his  death,  in  1859,  aged  eighty- 
four  years. 

During  Shabona' s  absence  some  speculators  rep- 
resented to  the  Government  that  he  had  aban- 
doned his  reservation,  and  it  was  sold.  He  felt 
hurt  at  this  injustice,  and  said:  "Shabona  has 
nothing  now."  George  E.  Walker,  an  old  friend  of 
his,  and  his  companion  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
said  to  him  :  "Shabona,  while  I  have  a  bed  and  a 
crust  you  shall  share  them  with  me  ; "  and  Shabona 
always  made  Walker's  liouse  his  home,  when  in 
Ottawa.  The  citizens  of  Ottawa  raised  by  subscrip- 
tion an  amount  sufficient  to  purchase  twenty  acres 
of  land  near  Seneca,  in  Grundy  County,  and  erected 
comfortable  buildings  on  the  same,  where  Shabona 
and  his  family  lived  till  his  death,  in  1859.  His 
wife,  who  was  enormously  fleshy,  weighing  about 
400  pounds,   was   drowned  in  Mazon  creek,  Nov. 


114  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


30tli,  1864,  aged  eiglity-six  years.  She  was  born 
where  Chicago  now  is,  about  1YT8. 

The  persistent  friendship  of  the  old  Indian  for 
the  whites,  under  injustice  from  the  Government, 
shows  stronfflv  the  firmness  of  the  Indian  character : 
while  their  hates  are  bitter,  vindictive,  and  cruel, 
their  love  and  gratitude  are  equally  lasting. 

The  story  of  Shabona  is  a  severe  commentary  on 
the  barbarism  of  civilized  man,  who  would  sweep 
the  red  man  from  existence,  and  who  say  there  are 
no  friendly  Indians  but  dead  ones.  That  vindictive 
cruelty  which  characterizes  the  savage  under  real  or 
fancied  provocation,  still  actuates,  with  increased 
intensity,  those  pretended  sharers  of  our  boasted 
Christian  civilization  who  would  strike  with  re- 
morseless effect  a  fallen  race,  and  extinguish  at  a 
blow  the  sad  and  melancholy  remnant  of  a  once 
powerful  people,  brought  to  the  verge  of  extinc- 
tion by  the  diseases,  vices  and  wrongs  of  a  pre- 
tended Christian  people. 

William  Hickling,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Ottawa,  now  of  Chicago,  has  shown  the  writer  a 
certificate  of  character  given  to  Shabona  in  1816,  by 
Billy  Caldwell,  a  half-breed  chief  of  the  Pottawato- 
mies.  Shabona  had  carried  it  manj^  years  carefully 
enclosed  in  a  piece  of  buckskin,  which  exhibited 
unmistakable  signs  of  long  use.  About  a  year  before 
his  death  he  gave  it  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Hickling,  that 
it  might  be  preserved.  A  verbatim  copy  is  here 
inserted.  Billy  Caldwell  was  liberally  educated  by 
the  Jesuits  at  Detroit.  Mr.  Hickling  thinks  the 
autograph  attached  to  the  certificate  in  his  posses- 
sion, the  only  one  of  Caldwell's  in  existence. 


Black  Haiok  War.  115 

[copy.] 

This  is  to  certify,  that  the  bearer  of  this — name  Chamblee — 
was  a  faithful  companion  to  me  during  the  late  war  with  the  United 
States. 

The  bearer  joining  the  Late  celebrated  Warrior,  Tecumseh,  of 
the  Shawnee  nation,  in  the  year  1807,  on  tlie  Wabash  river,  and 
remained  with  the  above  Warrior  from  the  commencement  of  the 
hostilities  with  U.  S.  untill  our  defeat  at  Moravian  town,  on  the 
Thames,  5th  October,  1813. 

I  also  have  been  witness  to  his  intrepidity  and  courageous  war- 
rior on  many  occasions  &  showed  a  great  deal  of  humanity  to  those 
unfortunates  of  Mars  who  fell  into  his  hands. 

Amherstsburg,  1st  August,  1816.  B.  Caldwell, 

Captain  I.  D. 

The  name  Chamblee  is  the  French  way  of  wriiing 
Shabona'  s  name — nearly  every  writer  spells  it  dif- 
ferently, but  each  means  the  same  person. 

Amherstsburg  is  Fort  Maiden,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Detroit  river. 

Captain  I.  D.  means  Captain  Indian  Department. 

Caldwell  held  his  commission  from  the  British 
Government,  and  ifc  is  said  he  was  the  son  of  a 
British  officer. 

The  following  statement  is  by  Wm.  Hickling,  an 
old  resident  of  Ottawa : 

hickliis^g's  statement. 

I  have  heard  the  late  Geo.  E.  Walker,  of  Ottawa,  111.,  and  also 
the  old  Ottawa  chief,  Shabona,  say  that  at  the  time  the  troubles 
commenced,  in  1832,  between  Black  Hawk's  band  of  Sauks  and 
Foxes  and  the  United  States,  a  number  of  the  young  Pottawato- 
mie braves  were  desirous  of  taking  the  war-path  and  joining 
Black  Hawk  in  his  foray  on  the  frontier  settlements  of  Illinois  ;  and 
that  they  were  only  prevented  from  doing  so  by  the  active  exertions 
and  great  influence  of  Billy  ('aldwell,  Robinson,  and  Shabona, 
then  the  principal  chiefs  of  the  united  Pottawatomies  and  Ottawas. 


116  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

A  small  number  of  the  young  braves  did  actually  join  Black  Hawk. 
These  were  supposed  to  have  been  related  by  blood  and  marriage 
with  the  Sauks.  Two  of  them,  young  men,  brothers,  were  accused 
of  having  been  engaged  with  the  band  of  Sauks  in  their  murderous 
foraj'  upon  the  settlements  of  the  Fox  and  Rock  Kiver  valleys  ;  and 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Walker,  before  mentioned,  who  was 
then  sheriff  of  La  Salle  County,  went  alone  to  Black  Hawk's  camp 
in  Iowa,  and  arrested  the  two  young  braves  on  a  charge  of  mur- 
der, and  brought  them  to  Ottawa  for  trial.  Not  having  any  court- 
house building  at  that  time  in  La  Salle  County,  the  court  was  held 
in  the  open  air,  under  the  shady  branches  of  a  large  tree,  at  that  time 
standing  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Illinois  river  at  Ottawa.  The 
Court  appointed  the  late  Gen.  James  Turney  to  defend  the  Indians. 
For  the  want  of  sufficient  evidence  they  were  acquitted,  and  thus 
was  the  first  sheriff  of  La  Salle  County  saved  from  the  disagreeable 
dut5'  of  an  execution.  It  is  said  that  upon  their  release  from  cus- 
tody, the  Indians  started  quickly  on  a  bee  line  for  their  homes,  and 
in  a  few  moments  were  lost  to  the  sight  of  those  who  were  watching 
their  exit. 

The  small  bodj'  of  Pottawatomie  Indians  who  were  raised  in 
1S32,  to  operate  against  Black  Hawk,  included  Robinson  and  Sha- 
bona  as  chiefs,  and  were  commanded  by  Geo.  E.  Walker,  with  the 
title  of  Captain.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  force  ever  acted  as  an 
independent  command.  Their  employment  was  to  carry  expresses 
and  act  as  scouts,  and  at  different  times  they  were  under  the  order 
of  Generals  Atkinson,  Henry,  Scott,  and  probablj-  other  com- 
manders. 


INDIAN  CHARACTER  AND  CUSTOMS. 

Accounts  of  Indian  warfare,  trade  and  treaties  do 
not  give  an  inside  view  of  Indian  character.  Mr. 
David  Grove,  who  lived  here  many  years  in  daily 
interconrse  with  them,  related  to  the  writer  many 
incidents  of  that  experience,  elucidating  the  every- 
day life  of  a  people  now  no  more.  He  says  they 
were  fond  of  athletic  sports,  and  of  contests  with  the 


Indian  Character  and  Customs.  Ill 


whites  in  jumping,  running,  hopping,  wrestling, 
etc.  In  wrestling  they  never  tripped,  and  com- 
plained of  unfairness  when  the  whites  did  so.  In 
all  such  contests  they  proved  inferior  to  the  whites 
in  both  strength  and  agility.  This  might  indicate 
less  vitality,  and  one  cause  of  their  rapid  decadence. 
They  were  very  fond  of  a  trial  of  skill  in  shooting 
at  a  mark,  and  very  proud  of  being  the  victors. 
They  would  resort  to  a  variety  of  devices  to  accom- 
plish that  object ;  when  their  opponent  was  taking 
aim  they  would  commence  the  most  savage  and  un- 
earthly yells  for  the  purpose  of  unsteadying  his 
nerves— an  object  they  frequently  accomplished. 

There  was  no  trick  they  would  hesitate  to  perpe- 
trate. If  they  could  get  their  competitor's  rifle 
they  would  secretly  strike  the  sight  with  their 
knives,  moving  it  to  one  side,  so  as  thereby  to  win 

the  stake. 

They  were  not  addicted  to  stealing,  but  would 
sometimes  fall  into  temptation  in  thsit  direction. 
Mr.  Grove  tended  mill,  and  frequently  sold  flour  to 
the  squaws.  His  practice  was  to  sell  by  the  handful, 
and  after  delivering  the  number  agreed  for,  the 
squaws  would  invariably  grab  one  handful  more, 
for  which  he  would  sometimes  box  their  ears  ;  they 
would  be  very  angry  and  curse  him  roundly  in  the 
Indian  jargon,  when  he  would  give  them  another 
handful  to  appease  their  wrath;  they  would  at  once 
call  him  good,  good,  and  become  the  best  of  friends. 
They  were  fond  of  gleaning  in  the  wheat  fields,  and 
like  Boaz  of  old,  the  owners  would  drop  a  little  now 
and  then  for  the  gleaners.     They  frequently  bought 


118  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

a  few  bundles,  but  alwaj^s  came  back  dissatisfied, 
saying,  "big  straw  little  wheat."  They  were  seldom 
satisfied  with  a  trade,  but  would  come  back  wanting 
something  more.  There  is  no  proof  that  this  was 
innate,  but  doubtless  resulted  from  their  being  gen- 
erally overreached  in  the  bargains  the}^  made  with 
the  whites. 

They  were  usually  fast  friends,  and  never  forgot 
a  kindness.  They  were  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the 
settlers  ;  would  sometimes  come  into  the  settler's 
houses  in  the  night  and  lie  down  by  the  fire,  where 
they  would  be  found  in  the  morning. 

Esquire  Allen,  of  Freedom,  states,  that  the  first 
winter  he  was  on  Indian  creek,  he  was  engaged  in 
cutting  and  hewing  timber  for  building  purposes. 
Tlie  Indians  would  be  around  nearly  every  day, 
watching  the  process  with  apparently  the  deepest 
interest.  They  would  speculate  on  the  direction  the 
tree  would  fall,  while  being  cut,  and  when  it  fell 
would  seem  to  enjoy  it  hugely ;  they  would  then 
go  to  the  stump  and  appear  to  admire  the  nice 
smooth  cutting  of  the  white  man's  axe,  so  different 
from  their  rude  instruments  ;  they  would  imitate 
with  the  hands  the  motion  made  with  the  axe,  and 
the  throwing  of  the  chips  b}^  its  action,  which  their 
instruments  never  did.  They  seemed  to  appreciate  a 
fact,  which  from  habit  we  fail  to  notice,  that  the  Yan- 
kee axe  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  instruments  ever 
invented  by  man.  In  the  hands  of  experts  it  has 
cleared  a  continent  and  prepared  it  for  civilized  oc- 
cupancy, and  that  with  a  speed  and  facility  that  no 
other  agenc}'  could  effect.     The  rapid  and  nice  work 


Personal  Narratlms.  119 


of  this  tool  could  but  attract  the  attention  of  these 
simple  savages. 

Mr.  Allen  states  that  they  left  their  tools  at  night 
where  they  stopped  work,  and  although  the  Indians 
were  almost  constantly  there,  their  tools  were  never 
molested.  If  a  kind,  conciliating  and  just  course 
had  in  all  cases  been  pursued  in  our  intercourse  with 
this  people,  may  we  not  suppose  their  ultimate  des- 
tiny would  have  been  different  ? 

Yet  these  friendly  Pottawatomies,  though  held  in 
check  by  Shabona  and  other  chiefs,  doubtless  did  a 
few  of  them  join  the  Sacs  in  their  war  on  the  settle- 
ments, though  this  was  said  to  have  been  confined 
to  a  few  bucks  who  had  intermarried  with  the  Sauks. 
Their  passion  for  war  and  blood  is  almost  uncontrol- 
able,  and  their  vindictive  hate  of  an  enemy  leads 
them  to  a  course  of  extermination. 

When  Shabona  accompanied  the  army  under 
General  Atkinson,  and  an  attack  was  expected  soon 
to  be  made  on  the  Sauks,  Shabona  asked  permission 
to  spare  a  certain  squaw,  a  friend  of  his.  The  General 
told  him  to  spare  all  the  women  and  children,  but 
Shabona  dissented,  saying,  "They  breed  like  lice, 
leave  them,  their  children  will  kill  our  children." 
That  was  Indian  philosophy,  and  morality  too. 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES. 

The  writers  of  history  seldom  give  more  than  the 
rise  and  fall  of  nations,  biographies  of  great  men, 
kings  and  princes,  and  but  little  or  nothing  of  the 
common  people — a  matter  of  far  more  importance, 


120  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

and  more  interesting.  To  know  the  intelligence, 
opinions,  tastes,  amusements,  method  and  means  of 
living,  routine  of  every  day  life,  the  hopes  and  fears, 
which  swayed  and  controlled  a  people,  would  be  far 
more  interesting  than  the  life  of  a  prince,  sociallj' 
far  removed  from,  and  having  no  feelings  in  common 
with  the  masses. 

So,  in  recording  the  history  of  the  pioneer  settle- 
ments, we  can  not  give  a  proper  idea  of  the  toils, 
privations,  hopes,  fears,  anticipations,  and  misgiv- 
ings, simply  by  recording  the  founding  and  growth 
of  towns,  cities  and  counties,  progress  of  agriculture 
and  commerce,  but  we  must  accompany  the  emi- 
grant along  his  weary  way,  witness  his  parting  with 
friends,  difficulties  of  travel  through  unfrequented 
ways  after  reaching  the  fi'ontier,  beyond  the  pale  of 
society,  his  exposures  and  his  patient  industrj'.  the 
impression  made  upon  his  imagination  by  the 
scenery,  so  new  and  startling,  the  wild  animals  so 
rare,  and  the  notes  of  strange  birds  which  alone 
break  the  middaj^  silence  of  his  lonely  home. 

To  endeavor  to  convey  to  the  reader  a  correct  idea 
of  the  sensation  produced  in  the  mind  of  the  new 
comer  as  he  first  became  acquainted  with  the  strange 
land  he  had  come  to  occupy,  several  short  narratives 
of  the  journey  and  first  experience  here,  are  inserted, 
not  because  the}'  contain  an}'  startling  facts  of  hair- 
breadth escapes  from  fire  and  fiood,  or  Indian 
barbarity,  but  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  settler  as 
he  first  occupied  the  unique  and  peculiar  prairie 
region,  as  the  circumstances  that  produced  these 
have  ceased  to  exist,  and  they  can  be  known  only  by 
the  recital  of  those  who  speak  from  experience. 


Personal  Narratives.  121 


NAKRATIYE   BY    THE   AUTHOR. 

May  1,  1835,  in  company  witli  three  others,  Beebe  Clark,  James  B. 
BearcUley,  and  N.  W.  Merwin,  I  left  the  western  border  of  Connec- 
ticut, to  explore  the  West  ;  this  part  of  Illinois  being  our  destina- 
tion. Toolt  a  steamer  from  Poughkeepsie  to  Albany,  and  a  rail- 
road from  Albany  to  Schenectady,  the  only  railroad  between 
Connecticut  and  the  Mississippi,  and  beiag  the  first  ever  seen  by  us 
was  a  great  curiosity.  We  first  took  seats  in  a  small  car  a  little 
larger  than  a  stage  coach  ;  were  drawn  by  horse  power  about  two 
miles  to  the  foot  of  an  inclined  plane,  then  up  the  plane  by  a 
stationary  engine,  and  from  there  drawn  by  a  locomotive  to 
Schenectady— in  all,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  The  rail  was  a  flat 
iron  bar  laid  on  timbers,  and  the  timbers  on  ties.  How  wonderfully 
that  twelve  miles  of  primitive  railroad  has  grown  and  spread  over 
all  this  Western  world  ;  the  journey  which  then  consumed  three 
weeks,  can  now  be  accomplished  iu  less  than  two  days. 

From  Schenectady  came  by  canal  boat  to  Buffalo,  and  by  steamer 
from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  ;  at  Detroit  we  made  a  company  of  eight, 
and  hired  a  farm  wagon  to  talce  us  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph 
river,  by  what  was  called  the  territorial  road.  Though  a  slow  con- 
veyance it  gave  an  excellent  oiiportunity  to  see  the  country. 
Detroit  and  its  surroundings  had  the  aspect  of  an  old  country, 
but  we  soon  entered  a  heavy  timbered  region,  about  twenty-five 
miles  in  extent,  when  alternate  timber  and  openings  with  most 
beautiful  scenery,  extended  nearly  across  the  territory.  This  scenery 
with  the  occurrence  of  two  or  three  small  prairies,  all  of  it  inter- 
mediate between  timber  and  prairie,  prepared  us  for  viewing  the 
broad  prairie  further  west.  A  most  beiutiful  feature  of  Michigan 
scenery  was  the  frequent  occurrence  of  small  lakes  from  aeiuarter  of 
a  mile  to  two  or  three  miles  across  ;  with  water  as  pure  as  crystal, 
with  a  hard  sand  or  gravelly  beach  bordered  by  the  clear  lawns  and 
scattering  timber  of  those  splendid  barrens,  they  made  a  scene 
where  the  water  nymphs  and  fairies  might  nightly  dance  together. 

The  last  day  of  the  trip,  which  consumed  a  week,  we  found  our- 
selves at  dark  without  supper  in  the  dense  forest  of  the  St.  Joseph, 
with  a  track  for  a  road  barely  passable  by  daylight  ;  when  rain  set 
in,  and  the  wolves  commi  need  howling.  The  older  members  of  the 
company  thought  our  situation  somewhat  unpleasant.     We  moved 

cautiously  on,  and  finally  discovered  a  small  log  cabin  occupied  by 
9 


122  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

an  Irishman  and  liis  wife,  the  only  house  for  twelve  or  fifteen  miles 
east  of  the  St.  Joseph  river.  Tliey  had  no  forage,  or  provision  for 
man  or  beast.  The  hordes  were  tied  fasting  to  a  tree,  eight  of  us 
drank  two  quarts  of  milk  just  from  the  cow,  for  our  supper,  biy  on 
the  puncheon  floor  with  our  carpet  bags  for  pillows,  and  slept 
soi'ndly  till  morning,  when  we  discharged  our  team,  and  our  host 
who  also  kept  the  ferry,  took  us  over  to  the  little  settlement  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  where  he  procured  some  provisions  for  himself. 

After  waiting  two  days  for  a  little  schooner  to  load  with  lumber, 
with  fifty  to  sixty  others  we  took  passage  on  her  deck,  as  her  little 
cabin  was  more  than  full  with  the  dozen  lady  passengers. 
After  shivering  through  the  night,  without  rest,  a  pleasant  May 
sun  made  the  temperature  quite  comfortable,  but  eating  accommo- 
dations, after  an  inefl'ectiial  attempt  to  set  a  table  in  the  cabin, 
consisted  of  a  supply  of  hard  or  sea  biscuit,  a  pot  for  boiling 
mackerel,  and  a  pan  for  frying  bacon,  with  one  cofi'ee  pot.  It  was 
nearly  night  before  all  were  served,  and  the  boldest  and  most  un- 
scrupulous fared  the  best,  but  hunger  finally  forced  the  modest 
and  timid  to  a  desperate  eff"ort  to  appease  their  appetites,  and  they 
might  be  seen  with  a  hard  biscuit  in  one  hand,  and  a  half  boiled 
mackerel  held  by  the  tail  in  the  other,  like  a  pig  with  an  ear  of 
corn,  seeking  a  quiet  portion  of  the  deck  to  take  their  breakfasts, 
at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

About  sunset  our  little  craft  anchored  oft"  Chicago,  as  no  vessel 
could  then  pass  over  the  bar  into  Chicago  river.  The  passengers 
reached  the  pier  by  means  of  a  small  boat,  and  the  cargo  was  taken 
over  the  bar  in  a  flat  boat  or  lighter. 

Chicago  was  then  a  respectable  village,  and  Fort  Dearborn,  a 
United  States  palisade  fort,  stood  near  where  Michigan  and  Wabash 
avenues  intersect  Lake  street,  and  was  garrisoned  by  United  States 
troops.  The  margin  of  Chicago  i  iver  was  marshy  and  covered  with 
tall  slough  grass.  To  reach  the  rivt  r  for  water  the  people  drove  small 
piles  in  the  mud  ;  on  these,  planks  were  placed  on  which  they  walked 
beyond  the  grass,  and  the  water  when  obtained  was  clear  and  pure 
as  compan  d  with  that  which  runs  in  the  same  channel  to-day. 

The  sensation  in  Chicago,  then,  was  the  presence  of  several 
hundred  Pottawatomie  Indians  receiving  their  annuities,  and  pre- 
paring to  remove  onto  a  reservation  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

To  us  these  people  were  a  subject  of  deep  interest.  They  were 
quartered  on  the  west  side  near  the  confluence  of  the  North  and 


Personal  Narratives.  123 


South  branches,  and  -when  wc  visited  them,  the  day  after  our  arrival, 
there  were  more  than  one  hundred  helplessly  drunk,  lying  about  in 
all  positions,  and  nearly  nude  ;  while  the  i-thers,  with  a  discretion 
uncommon  among  civilized  men,  kept  entirely  sober  for  the  time, 
but  it  was  said  would  have  their  turn  to  get  gloriously  drunk, 
some  other  day. 

The  physical  development  of  the  native  Indian  is  probably  as 
perfi'ct  as  can  be  found  elsewhere.  The  well  developed,  athletic, 
and  lithe  form  of  the  young  braves,  would  be  an  excellent  model  for 
an  ancient  sculptor,  while  the  hideous  countenances  of  some  of  the 
old  men  were  repulsive  in  the  extreme.  One  old  Indian  had  a  large 
and  powerful  frame,  and  an  eye  and  countenance  th  it  impressed 
one  with  terror  at  first  sight.  He  had  been  teriibly  mutilated  in 
contest  with  either  man  or  beast,  his  ears  were  nearly  gone,  only 
dangling  sbreds  remaining,  his  nose  was  reduced  to  a  mere  stump 
nearly  level  with  his  face,  two  fingers  were  gone,  and  his  face, 
shoulders,  arms  and  hands  nearly  covered  with  scars  ;  his  life  must 
have  been  a  terribly  eventful  one.  Some  of  the  old  squaws  were 
nearly  a  match  for  the  disfigured  Indian,  wMle  some  of  the  girls 
were  quite  comely,  and  a  few  might  be  called  handsome — not  only 
regular  features,  melting  black  eyes,  long  flowing  jet  black  hair,  but 
a  natural  grace,  and  ease  of  motion  that  would  be  difficult  to  find 
in  civilized  life. 

These  Indians  were  about  to  yield  up  the  home  of  their  people  ; 
the  scenes  of  their  youth,  their  much  loved  hunting  grounds  and 
the  graves  of  their  kindred,  and  all  they  held  dear,  were  to  be 
abandoned  to  the  grasping  power  of  advancing  civiiizatitm.  They 
were  yielding  to  their  destiny,  the  power  of  the  white  man,  and  the 
inevitable  supremacy  of  a  superior  race.  They  were  the  retiring 
actors  from  the  grand  stage,  and  we  the  incoming  ones  with  a  new 
play  and  a  new  cast  of  characters. 

They  were  going  where  others  of  their  race  had  preceded  them, 
whose  history,  written  by  the  finger  of  frite,  presaged  their  own 
unhappy  lot— a  constant  decline  and  final  exiinction;  while  the 
incoming  race  wt-re  to  r<  ar  an  empire  in  the  Western  valley  to  be 
peopled  by  untold  millions,  and  consecrattd  to  liberty,  to  religion, 
to  intelligence,  and  to  the  realization  of  a  civilization,  wealth,  and 
power  such  as  the  wcrld  has  never  seen.  Actors  in  this  new  drama, 
while  we  could  but  heave  a  sigh  for  the  gloom  that  hung  around 
the  destiny  of  theretiiing  troupe,  we  could  not  fail  to  be  exhilarated 


124  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

by  the  brighter  prospects  ■which  shone  so  propitiously  on  the  future 
of  the  incoming  race  ;  in  fact,  all  the  old  settlers  seem  to  have  been 
impressed  with  the  ultimate  high  destiny  of  the  land  of  their 
adoption. 

But  to  resume  our  narrative.  After  an  ineffectual  effort  for  two 
days  to  obtain  a  seat  in  the  stage  that  ran  from  Chicago  to  Ottawa, 
we  left  Chicngo  on  foot,  about  one  o'clock  p.  m.  of  a  very  warm 
afternoon.  There  had  been  heavy  showers  for  several  days,  and 
the  low  prairie  around  Chicago  was  more  like  a  lake  than  dry  land. 

For  seven  miles  before  reaching  Berry's  Point  the  water  was  from 
three  to  fifteen  inches  deep,  through  which  we  worked  our  weiry 
way.  When  within  about  two  miles  of  dry  land,  one  of  our  com- 
panions gave  out,  and  two  of  us,  one  on  each  side,  placed  our  arm 
around  and  under  his  opposite  arm,  while  he  placed  his  on  our 
shoulders,  and  thus  we  bore  him  through.  With  this  introduction 
to  Illinois,  I  presume,  if  at  the  time  we  threw  ourselves  on  the  first 
dry  laud  we  reached,  we  had  been  placed  back  in  old  Connecticut, 
we  should  have  stayed  there. 

The  next  day  we  walked  about  forty  miles  to  Plainfield.  It  gave 
us  our  first  view  of  a  rolling,  Illinois  prairie.  We  had  pictured  in 
imagination  the  far  famed  prairie, but  in  common  with  others  from 
the  East,  we  had  no  adequate  conception  of  its  character. 

We  strained  our  ej'es  to  take  in  its  extent,  till  the  effort  became 
painful.  We  descanted  again  and  pgain  upon  its  beautj',  and  rich- 
ness, and  wondered  why  such  a  country' had  remained  so  long  in  the 
hands  of  the  savage.  It  was  a  wonderful  country.  All  was  new. 
Strange  sounds  greeted  our  ears.  The  piping  note  of  the  prairie 
squirrel  as  he  dropped  from  his  erect  position,  and  sought  the  pro- 
tection of  his  ho'-e  close  by  our  path  ;  the  shrill  notes  of  the  plover, 
scattered  in  countless  numbers,  fitfully  starting  and  running  over 
the  prairie  ;  the  constant  roaring  of  the  prairie  cock  ;  the  mad 
scream  of  the  crooked-bill  curlew,  as  we  appoached  its  nest  ;  the 
distant  whoop  of  the  crane  ;  the  pump  sounding  note  of  the  bittern; 
the  lithe  and  graceful  forms  of  the  deer,  in  companies  of  three  to 
five,  lightly  bounding  over  the  swells  of  the  prairie  ;  the  rude 
cabins  of  tlie  settlers,  with  their  ruder  cribs,  stables  and  yards — all 
were  new  and  strange :  it  seemed  a  new  creation  that  we  had 
entered. 

A  virgin  soil,  clean  and  rich,  inviting  the  plow  ;  boundless 
meadows  waiiing  for  the  scythe,  the  summer  paradise  of  the  flocks 


Personal  Narratives.  125 


and  herds  that  were  tu  occupy  them  ;  a  teeming  richness  of  soil 
whose  golden  harvests  should  one  day  glut  the  ma'kets  of  the 
^orld— all  this,  so  new  and  impressive,  crowding  in  quick  succes- 
sion upon  the  senses,  could  but  excite  the  imagination  to  the  live- 
liest hope,  the  most  ardent  anticipation.  The  day's  experience  was 
but  a  miniature  picture  of  the  hopes  and  the  sufferings  of  pioneer 
life. 

Several  hours  immersion  of  the  feet  the  previous  day,  in  the 
warm  water  of  the  Chicago  swamps,  had  fittingly  prepared  Ihem 
for  the  wholesale  blistering  this  day's  travel  in  the  hot  sun  had  pro- 
duced. Yet  want  of  dinner,  which  we  failed  to  get,  and  pain  of 
our  blistered  feet,  were  all  forgotten  in  the  new  experiences  and 
strange  sights  of  the  land  we  had  entered. 

It  was  but  natural,  that  designing  to  become  res'dents,  we  should 
look  forward,  and  anticipate  the  future  succes-^,  the  destiny  of  the 
land  of  promise— the  material  wealth,  population,  social,  civil, 
religious  and  educational  iuslhutions  which  should  here  arise,  and 
bless  succeeding  generations,  as  they  should  follow  each  other 
down  the  stream  of  lime  ;  and  however  ardent  our  dreaming  may 
have  been,  it  could  hardly  have  exceeded  the  realization. 

The  succeeding  day  brought  us  to  Ottawa.  Wc  crossed  from 
East  to  South  Ottawa,  hardly  knowing  there  was  a  N.^rth  Ottawa, 
drank  at  the  mineral  spring  which  after  a  lapse  of  over  forty  years 
has  become  so  famous,  and  passed  on  to  Vermillionville,  our  origi- 
nal point  of  destination. 

IVIKP.   WALBRIDGE's    statement — THEN    THE  WIFE  OF 

EDWARD  KEYES. 

We  came  to  La  Sille  County  in  November,  18:31.  On  our  journey 
we  traveled  five  days  without  seeing  a  house  of  any  kind.  At  last 
we  reached  the  hospitable  cabin  of  Christopher  Long,  on  Covell 
Creek,  where  we  staid  six  weeks,  when  we  moved  on  to  the  north 
_bank  of  the  Illinois  river,  about  five  miles  east  of  Ottawa.  I  re- 
member we  moved  from  Covell  Creek  on  Christmas  eve,  through  a 
wild  region,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  bi'ight  moonlight  night 
when  we  arrived  at  our  cabin.  It  was  a  wild,  dreary  looking  place, 
though  I  did  not  say  anything  of  my  feelin-s  lest  I  should  discour- 
age my  husband. 

Our  house  was  about  twelve  feet  wide  and  sixteen  feet  long,  one 


126  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

story,  of  logs.  The  weather  got  so  cohl  that  we  could  build  our 
chimney  but  little  higher  than  where  the  mantel  piece  ought  to 
be,  and  when  the  wind  came  from  the  south  we  had  to  open  the 
door  to  let  the  smoke  out. 

The  bottom  Imd  around  us  was  covered  with  very  tall  grass,  and 
ours  the  only  house  on  the  bottom  between  Ottawa  and  Jwliet,  and 
but  two  or  three  in  Ottawa.  David  Shaver  lived  about  one  mile 
north  of  us,  and  Wm.  Parr  lived  one  and  a  quarter  miles  northeast. 

"We  got  through  the  winter  very  well,  as  the  weather  was  quite 
mild.  In  the  early  spr'ng,  while  I  was  at  Mr.  Long's,  who  had 
settled  half  a  mile  above  us,  and  my  husband  was  al'.ne,  two  Indi- 
ans called  and  took  dinner  with  him.  They  told  him  that  the  Cho- 
Mokeman  would  come  soon  and  kill  all  the  pale  faces.  So  we  took 
the  alarm,  packed  up  our  things  and  went  to  Posey  County,  in 
Indiana.  Tliis  was  in  the  spring  of  1832,  and  we  thus  escaped  the 
dangers  of  the  Indian  war. 

We  returned  to  our  cabin  in  the  spring  of  18oi3,  which  we  found 
as  we  left  it.  After  putting  in  our  crops  Mr.  Keyes  started  for  the 
East,  and  I  stayed  alone  about  two  months.  About  a  week  after 
he  left  I  was  taken  with  the  ague,  and  had  it  every  o'her  da3^  The 
days  I  had  the  chills,  Mrs.  Parr  would  come  an  1  help  me.  Mr. 
Keyes  went  to  Connecticut  and  Vermont.  He  wished  me  to  go  to 
some  of  the  neighbor's,  but  I  thought  I  would  stay  and  take  care  of 
what  we  had. 

The  winter  of  1833-4  Avas  very  cold,  so  the  mill  at  Dayton  was 
frozen  up,  and  we  pounded  corn  for  our  bread.  We  moved  on  the 
place  in  1831  and  1833,  and  I  have  lived  here  ever  since — and  I  have 
seen  the  wild  region  which  looked  so  forbidding  on  that  Christmas 
eve,  in  1831,  transformed  into  one  of  the  most  thriving  and  busi- 
ness-like places  in  the  West. 

There  is  a  peculiar  and  indescribable  influence  exerted  over  the 
mind  by  the  pliin,  unadorned  candor  and  simplicity  of  the  early 
pioneers.  When  they  professed  a  friendship  for  you  it  meant 
something  ;  it  came  from  the  bottom  of  the  heart.  Style  and 
fashion  had  no  place  on  the  frontier. 

This  narrative  of  Mrs.  Walbridge  is  somewhat 
abridged,  but  enough  is  given  in  her  own  language 
to  convey  a  true  picture  of  the  feelings  that  actu- 


Personal  Narratives.  127 


ated  the  early  pioneer.  A  woman  that  would  stay 
alone  for  two  months  in  that  wild  region,  with  the 
country  full  of  Indians  and  wild  animals,  and  sicjk 
with  the  ague  too,  is  made  of  no  common  stuff,  and 
the  spectacle  of  Mrs.  Parr,  leaving  her  own  family, 
and  cares,  and  going  a  mile  and  a  quarter  every 
other  day  to  wait  at  the  bedside  of  her  lonely  sick 
neighbor,  is  an  example  of  self-sacrifice  and  kind- 
ness seldom  found,  except  in  a  new  country. 

NARRATIVE   OF   MRS.    SARAH    ANN   PARR,    DAUGHTER 
OF    W^IDOW    ANNA   PITZER. 

We  arrived  in  the  countj^  of  La  Salle  on  the  16th  day  of 
October,  1831,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  left 
bank  of  tlie  Fox,  about  nine  niiles  from  Ottawa,  on  the  place 
where  the  Harneys  now  live.  We  left  Ohio  in  May  previous— my 
mother's  family,  in  company  with  Aaron  Daniels,  Edward 
Sanders,  Benjamin  Fleming,  and  Joseph  Klieber,  and  their  families. 

There  was  but  little  talk  about  Indians  during  the  winter,  but 
in  May  there  began  to  be  rumors  that  the  Indians  were  coming 
soon.  About  the  middle  of  April,  Sliabona,  the  Pottawatomie 
chief,  came  to  our  house,  and  told  us  the  Indians  would  soon  give 
us  trouble.  Soon  after,  we  heard  they  had  burned  Ilollenbeck's 
house.  Mr.  Fleming  came  to  our  house  just  as  we  were  getting 
breakfast,  and  tnld  US  we  must  all  put  out  lor  Ottawa,  without  a 
moment's  delay.  Jn  great  haste  we  got  ready  and  started,  wiihout 
our  breakfast,  leaving  the  table  stand  ng.  We  stayed  in  Ottawa 
about  a  week,  wlien  my  mother,  myself,  and  several  others,  went 
up  to  Dayton,  because  there  were  only  two  houses  in  Ottawa, 
owned  by  David  Walker  and  Joseph  Cloud,  and  there  was  a  small 
fo;t  at  Diyton,  built  by  John  Green  around  his  house,  which  was 
supposed  to  make  it  safe,  at  night  at  least.  About  five  daj'S  after, 
while  we  were  all  asleep,  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  a  French- 
man brought  word  that  Hall's,  Davis'  and  Petigrew's  families  were 
all  killed,  up  on  ihe  creek.  In  a  great  panic,  we  got  ready— or 
set  off  wiihout  getting  ready— to  go  down  the  river,myself  with  seven- 
teen othe-s,  in  a  large  dug-out,  or  perogue,  as  it  was  called.     We 


128  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

were  piloted  down  bj-  Mr.  Stadden  and  Aaron  Daniels.  The  boat 
was  so  loaded  that  it  dipped  water  several  times  ;  however,  we  all 
landed  safe.  The  balance  of  the  Dayton  folks  walked  down  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  to  OUawa,  where  we  sta3'ed  some  four  weeks, 
when  my  mother  and  myself  went  to  Sangamon,  on  the  Sangamon 
river,  six  miles  north  of  Springfield,  where  we  stayed  till  the  war 
was  over.  My  mother,  Anna  Pitzcr,  was  a  widow,  and  it  was  not 
deemed  safe  for  her  to  remain,  for  provisions  were  scarce  and 
supplies  very  uncertain.  I  was  sixteen  at  the  time,  but  \he 
recollection  of  1ho.se  scenes  is  as  vivid  as  if  they  occurred  but 
yesterday. 

TH03[AS    PAKR".'^    >TATE>IENT. 

1  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  arriving  about  the  20th  day  of  April. 
Then  Illinois  was  a  wild  country.  I  went  to  Chicago  to  the  land 
sales  in  1835,  when  Chicago  was  a  very  small  town.  Great  num- 
bers of  the  settlers  came  in  ever}'  daj'  to  enter  their  lands.  You 
could  see  them  coming  with  their  prairie  schooners,  drawn  by 
about  three  yoke  of  oxen,  through  the  high  grass,  from  knee-high 
to  the  top  of  a  tall  man's  head,  with  a  cloud  of  mosquitoes  follow- 
ing, about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  swarm  of  bees.  Chicago  then 
resembled  about  as  good  a  swamp  as  I  ever  saw.  From  Berry's 
Point  to  Chicago,  ten  miles,  we  waded  through  water  all  the  way 
about  knee  deep.  The  buildings  in  Chicago  were  a  kind  of  cabin 
stuck  in  the  mud. 

We  got  our  land  and  came  home.  Pretty  wild  times — chasing 
prairie  wolves,  scaring  droves  of  deer,  flocks  of  sand-hill  cranes, 
geese  and  ducks  There  were  a  good  many  Indians  in  the  country 
then,  and  we  were  but  little  belter,  in  appearance,  ourselves. 
There  were  no  proud  folks  in  the  country  then,  although  the  girls 
were  as  pretty  as  ever  I  saw.  I  settled  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Fox  river,  eight  or  nine  miles  from  Ottawa,  where  I  have  lived 
ever  since.  "We  had  the  whole  country-  to  pasture,  and  to  cut  hay 
iu,  and  although  we  could  raise  good  crops,  we  could  get  no  money 
to  give  for  building  railroads,  and  hardly  enough  to  paj-  the 
Methodist  preacher  for  hearing  him,  although  we  always  managed 
to  pay  him  for  marrying  us.  I  had  George  Dunnavan  and  John 
Hoxie  for  neighbors  ;  the  rest  of  the  country  north  and  west  was 
an  unbroken  wilderness.  The  settlers  had  a  good  many  slow 
notions  :  three  or  four  yoke  of  oxen  to  turn  the  prairie  ;  and  going 


Claims,  and  First  Impromments.  129 


to  mill  or  market  we  would  hitch  our  oxen  to  the  big  wagon,  and 
"be  gone  two  or  three  days,  or  a  week,  as  the  case  required— rather 
a  slow  coach,  but  a  never  failing  one,  unless  an  ox  strayed.  The 
news  was  carried  by  ox  telegraph.  There  was  not  so  much  style, 
nor  so  many  big  steals,  as  now.  Those  unfortunate  individuals 
who  worshiped  fine  horses,  were  kept  in  a  perpetual  state  of 
excitement  by  a  gang  of  bandits  all  over  the  Western  country,  who 
lived  mostly  by  stealing  horses. 

We  used  to  go  to  Chicago  to  do  our  marketing,  and  sell  our 
wheat.  With  an  ox  team  and  wagon,  I  would  put  on  a  good  load 
of  wheat,  and  start  for  Chicago.  By  the  time  I  reached  Indian 
creek,  two  or  three  more  teams  would  join,  and  as  we  proceeded 
others  would  fall  in,  till  when  we  reached  Chicago  a  hundred  teams 
would  be  in  the  train. 

We  took  along  the  old  tin  coffee  pot,  and  some  ground  coffee 
tied  up  in  a  rag,  and  a  few  cooking  utensils.  We  would  camp, 
light  a  fire,  cook  our  grub,  collect  around  the  fire,  tell  a  few  stories, 
crack  a  few  jokes,  crawl  under  our  wagons,  and,  if  the  mosquitoes 
would  let  us,  go  to  sleep  and  dream  of  our  wives  and  children  at 

home. 

We  would  get  forty  to  fifty  cents  per  bushel  for  wheat,  and  three 
cents  a  dozen  for  eggs,  and  if  we  got  sixty  cents  for  wheat  we 
thought  we  were  doing  a  land  office  business.  Our  teams  found 
plenty  of  excellent  pasture  on  tiie  prairie  wherever  we  slopped. 
Crossing  the  sloughs  was  an  item  of  excitement,  and  if  one  got 
stuck,  we  joined  teams  and  pulled  him  out.  Crowding  Frink 
&  Walker's  stage  coaches  was  a  favorite  pastime,  and  they  soon 
learned  to  give  the  hubs  of  a  six-ox  wagon  a  wide  berth. 


CLAIMS.  AND  FIRST  IMPROVEMENTS. 

Future  generations  will  inquire,  not  only  how  this 
country  appeared  before  the  hand  of  civilized  man 
Iiad  marred  its  virgin  beauty,  but  how  the  first  com- 
ers managed  to  live,  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
elements,  and  to  procure  the  means  of  subsistence  ; 
how  they  met  the  varied  requirements  of  civilization 


130  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

to  which  they  had  been  accustomed,  and  with  what 
resignation  they  dispensed  with  such  as  could  not 
be  had. 

If  correctly  told,  it  would  be  a  tale  of  intense  inter- 
est ;  but  it  would  require  a  master-hand  to  draw  a 
picture  that  would  show  the  scene  in  all  of  its  de- 
tails— personal  experience  alone  could  fall}'  unfold 
the  tale.  When  a  new  comer  arrived,  he  first  se- 
lected a  location,  where  he  could  make  his  future 
home ;  and  the  question  naturally  arises,  of  whom 
did  he  get  permission  to  occupy  it?  The  answer 
might  be  given  in  the  language  usually  used  when 
defining  political,  or  civil  rights — every  one  was  free 
to  do  as  he  pleased,  so  he  did  not  interfere  with  his 
neighbor.  AVhen  the  Government  had  extinguished 
the  Indian  title,  the  land  was  subject  to  settlement, 
either  before,  or  after,  survey.  The  settler  had 
no  paper  title,  but  simpl}'  the  right  of  possession, 
which  he  got  by  moving  on  to  and  occupying  it  ; 
this  gave  him  the  right  to  hold  it  against  all  others, 
till  some  one  came  with  a  better  title,  which  better 
title  could  only  be  got  by  purchasing  the  fee  of  the 
Government,  when  surveyed  and  brought  into  mar- 
ket. The  right  of  possession  thus  obtained  consti- 
tuted what  was  called  a  claim.  These  were  re- 
garded as  valid  titles  by  the  settlers,  and  were  often 
sold,  in  some  instances,  for  large  amounts.  Pre- 
emption laws  were  passed  at  different  times,  by  Con- 
gress, giving  to  claimants  who  had  made  certain 
specified  improvements,  the  exclusive  right  to  pur- 
chase the  premises,  at  the  minimum  price  of  $1.25 
per  acre ;    provided,   they  would  prove  their  pre- 


Claims,  and  First  Improvements.  131 


emption,  and  pay  for  the  same,  before  they  were 
offered  for  sale  by  the  Government.  The  conditions 
required  were  possession,  or  cultivation,  and  raising 
a  crop,  the  amount  of  the  crop  not  being  specified. 
A  rail  fence,  of  four  lengths,  was  often  seen  on  the 
prairie,  the  ground  enclosed,  spaded  over  and  sown 
with  wheat. 

When  two  settlers,  by  mistake,  got  a  pre-emption 
on  the  same  quarter-section,  they  were  entitled  to  a 
claim  on  eighty  acres  more,  to  be  selected  by  them- 
selves ;  they  received  a  certificate  of  such  claim,  it 
being  called  a  float,  and  was  frequently  laid  on  im- 
provements, doing  great  injustice. 

But  there  was  always  an  understanding  among 
the  settlers  that  each  claimant  should  be  protected 
in  his  claim  if  he  had  no  pre-emption,  provided  he 
would  attend  the  sale  when  advertised,  by  proclama- 
tion of  the  President,  and  bid  the  minimum  price, 
and  pay  for  it.  The  settlers  usually  attended  the 
sale  in  a  body,  and  although  any  person  had  a  legal 
right  to  bid  on  any  claim  not  pre-empted,  and  it  had 
to  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  it  was  not  consid- 
ered a  very  safe  thing  to  bid  on  a  settler's  claim,  and 
it  was  seldom  done.  When  attempted,  the  bidding 
speculator  usually  got  roughly  handled,  and  found 
discretion  the  better  part  of  valor.  Eastern  specu- 
lators often  complained  of  this,  claiming  that  they 
were  deprived  of  the  legal  right  to  compete  in  the 
open  market,  for  the  purchase  of  these  lands  ;  but 
the  settlers  replied  that  they  had  left  the  comforts 
and  luxuries  of  their  Eastern  homes,  braved  the 
dangers  and  privations  of  a  new  country,  and  here 


132  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


made  their  homes,  cultivating  and  reclaiming  these 
wild  lands,  and  preparing  the  wa}-^  for  advancing 
civilization,  and  that  thej^  had  a  sacred  right  to 
the  improvements,  and  the  right  to  purchase  the 
fee  of  the  land,  as  the  land  and  improvements  must 
go  together — and  the}^  were  right. 

Tlie  fault  lay  in  the  Government  ever  selling  the 
land  in  any  way  except  by  pre-emption,  and  to 
actual  settlers.  The  Government  got  nothing  b}' 
offering  it  at  public  sale,  as  the  average  price  ob- 
tained, during  a  long  term  of  years,  was  only  81.27 
per  acre,  only  two  cents  over  the  minimum  price 
which  would  have  been  paid  by  actual  settlers,  not 
enough  to  pay  the  additional  cost — and  the  purchase 
bj'  speculators  enhanced  the  price,  and  retarded  the 
settlement  of  the  country,  forcing  the  settler  to  live 
isolated,  without  societ}',  schools,  and  churches ; 
and  it  made  the  honest  emigrant  pay  from  S300 
to  81,000  more  for  each  eighty  acres  than  the  Gov- 
ernment price,  and  this  went  to  the  man  who  did 
nothing  for  the  country,  but  sat  in  his  Eastern 
home  and  pocketed  the  amount. 

The  claim  question  had  a  morality  of  its  own,  and 
while  at  a  distance,  and  from  a  certain  standpoint, 
it  had  the  appearance  of  mob  law,  and  was  so  stig- 
matized, here  where  it  could  be  properlj^  understood 
and  appreciated,  it  was  sustained  by  the  purest  and 
best  of  men  ;  not  onh^  so,  but  an  actual  settler  was 
never  known  to  oppose  it.  If  ever  an  equitable 
and  just  right  existed,  it  was  that  of  the  claimant 
pioneer  to  the  land  he  occupied. 

The  nomenclature  was  peculiar,   and  expressive  ; 


Claims^  and  First  Impronements.  133 

when  a  man  made  a  claim,  lie  was  said  to  sqnat, 
and  was  galled  a  squatter,  and  from  that  came  the 
phrase  Squatter  Sovereignty.  When  the  claimant 
left  his  claim,  the  first  occupant  could  have  it.  If 
he  left  it  temporarily  to  visit  his  friends,  or  on  busi- 
ness, and  another  embraced  the  opportunit}^  to 
possess  it,  he  was  said  to  jump  the  claim.  Each  set- 
tlement usualh^  had  an  association  where  such  dis- 
putes were  settled ;  and  the  State  enacted  laws  mak- 
ing claims  transferable,  notes  given  for  claims  valid, 
for  protecting  the  claimant  from  the  encroachment 
of  others,  and  ousting  jumpers.  A  claim  jumper 
often  found  his  way  a  hard  road  to  travel. 

This  nomenclature  was  often  expressively  applied 
to  other  matters.  If  a  young  man  paid  marked  at- 
tention to  a  young  lady,  he  was  said  to  have  made 
a  claim  ;  if  it  was  understood  they  were  engaged, 
he  was  said  to  have  a  pre-emption,  and  if  another 
cut  him  out,  he  was  said  to  have  jumped  his  claim. 

When  the  settler  had  selected  his  location,  or  made 
his  claim,  his  first  attention  was  directed  to  pro- 
curing a  shelter  for  himself  and  family.  If  in  the 
vicinity  of  others  already  provided,  he  was  readily 
welcomed  to  share  their  scanty  accommodations, 
two,  and  frec^uently  three  families,  together  occupy- 
ing a  cabin  with  one  room,  perhaps  twelve  by  four- 
teen, more  or  less.  But  if  far  removed  from  neigh- 
bors, he  had  to  occupy  his  covered  wagon  in  which 
he  came,  sleeping  in,  or  under  it,  and  cooking  and 
eating  in  the  open  air,  or  some  other  rude  contriv- 
ance, frequently  a  tent  made  of  blankets,  till  a 
shelter  could  be  provided.     This  was  usually  a  log 


134  Hi  story  of  La  Salle  County. 

cabin,  for  the  raising  of  wLich,  help  was  needed. 
When  help  was  not  available,  his  cabin  must  be 
built  of  such  logs  or  poles  as,  with  the  aid  of  his 
family,  could  be  handled.  In  raising  a  log  cabin 
considerable  skill  is  required.  What  were  termed 
corner  bands — one  at  each  corner,  or  where  bands 
were  scarce,  one  for  two  corners — should  have  some 
experience.  The  bottom  log  must  be  saddled  or  cut 
to  a  sloping  edge,  or  angle,  to  receive  the  cross  log, 
which  must  be  notched  to  fit  the  saddle — a  failure, 
requiring  the  log  to  be  removed  to  be  refitted,  was 
sure  to  bring  some  pleasant  raillery  on  the  culprit. 
If  well  done,  a  door  or  window  can  be  cut,  and  the 
parts  of  the  logs  will  remain  firm  in  their  place,  but 
if  not  a  perfect  fit,  when  a  space  is  cut  for  the  door, 
the  accumulated  weight  from  above  will  bring  the 
logs  to  a  fit  at  the  corner,  and  throw  the  ends  at  the 
cutting  wide  from  their  place.  When  the  walls 
were  completed,  or  about  ten  feet  high,  the  gables 
were  carried  up  by  laying  on  logs,  each  shortened  in 
succession,  to  give  the  proper  slope  for  the  roof,  and 
held  by  straight  logs,  or  large  poles,  placed  about 
three  feet  from,  and  parallel  with,  the  plate,  rising 
upward  to  receive  the  shingles,  resting  on  and 
holding  the  short  logs  at  the  gables,  and  termi- 
nating with  a  ridge  pole  at  the  centre  of  the  build- 
ing and  top  of  the  roof.  On  these  were  placed  long 
shingles  or  clapboards,  four  feet  long,  laid  double, 
so  the  top  course  broke  joints  witli  the  first,  on 
which  was  laid  another  log,  or  pole,  held  by  a  pin 
at  each  end  ;  this  pole  held  the  shingles  in  place 
without  nailing,   and  each   succeeding   course  was 


Claims,  and  First  Impromments.  135 


laid  and  fastened  in  the  same  way.  'The  floor  was 
made  of  split  logs,  hewn  on  the  split  side,  and  spot- 
ted on  to  the  sleepers  on  the  round  side,  so  as  to 
make  a  tolerable  floor  ;  these  were  called  puncheons. 

The  chimney  was  built  outside  the  building  at 
one  end,  and  a  hole  cut  through  the  logs  for  a  flre- 
place.  It  was  made  of  timber,  lined  with  stone 
or  clay,  for  four  or  five  feet,  and  then  with  a  crib 
of  sticks  plastered  inside  with  clay  mortar.  The 
spaces  between  the  logs  were  filled  with  pieces  of 
split  timber,  called  chinking,  and  plastered  inside 
and  out  with  clay  mortar,  making  a  warm  and 
quite  comfortable  house  ;  but  snow  and  rain,  when 
falling  with  a  high  wind,  would  get  inside  through 
the  clapboard  roof— and  where  leisure  and  means 
justified,  a  roof  of  boards  and  short  shingles  was 
substituted. 

A  one-post  bedstead  was  made  as  follows  :  bore  a 
hole  in  a  log  four  feet  from  the  corner  of  the  room, 
and  insert  a  rail  six  feet  long  ;  then  bore  a  hole  in 
the  log  on  the  other  side  of  the  room  six  feet  from 
the  same  corner,  and  insert  a  piece  of  a  rail  four 
feet  long  ;  then  insert  the  opposite  ends  of  these 
rails  where  they  meet,  in  a  post,  which  completes 
the  frame  ;  then  lay  slats  crosswise  from  the  side 
on  to  the  log  opposite,  or  on  to  a  rail  pinned  on 
the  log  at  the  proper  height,  and  the  one-post  bed- 
stead is  complete,  on  which  the  weary  pioneer  slept 
as  sweetly  as  on  the  most  costly  one. 

These  rough  buildings  were  quite  comfortable, 
and  as  most  of  the  old  settlers  will  testify,  wit- 
nessed  much  of    real  enjoyment.      Some    of    our 


136  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


greatest    men    were    born    and    raised  in   such   a 
dwelling. 

A  shelter  provided,  the  next  thing  was  to  pre- 
pare to  raise  whereon  to  subsist. 

The  prairie  region  oftered  advantages  for  an  occu- 
pant far  superior  to  a  timbered  country  ;  in  the 
latter  an  immense  amount  of  labor  had  to  be  done 
to  remove  the  timber,  and  for  years  after,  the  stumps 
prevented  free  cultivation  ;  while  on  the  prairie 
the  sod  only  had  to  be  turned,  and  the  crop  put  in. 

At  an  early  day  the  sod  was  turned  by  an  ox 
team  of  six  to  ten  yoke,  with  a  plow  that  cut  a  fur- 
row from  two  to  three  feet  wide.  The  plow 
beam,  which  was  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  long,  was 
framed  into  an  axle,  on  each  end  of  which  was  a 
wheel  sawed  from  an  oak  log  ;  this  held  the  plow 
upright.  It  was  a  heavy,  unwieldly-looking  appar- 
atus, but  it  did  good  work ;  and  the  broad  black 
furrow,  as  it  rolled  from  the  plow,  was  a  sight 
worth  seeing. 

The  nice  adjustment  and  filing  of  the  coulter 
and  broad  share  required  a  practiced  hand,  as  a 
slight  deviation  in  the  tip  of  the  share,  or  even 
filing  the  coulter,  would  throw  the  plow  on  a  twist, 
and  require  a  strong  man  to  hold  it  in  place,  but  if 
nicely  done,  the  plow  would  run  a  long  distance 
without  support. 

This  was  the  primitive  plow,  but  Yankee  ingenu- 
ity soon  found  that  a  smaller  plow  and  less  team 
did  cheaper  and  better  work. 

It  was  found  that  the  best  time  to  break  the  sod 
was  when   the  grass   was  rapidly  growing,   as  it 


Cla/)?is,  and  First  Impromvients.  137 


wonld  then  decay  quickl}^,  and  tlie  soil  soon  be 
mellow  and  kind  ;  but  if  broken  too  early  or  too 
late  in  the  season,  it  would  require  two  or  three 
years  to  become  as  mellow  as  it  would  be  in  three 
months  when  broken  at  the  right  time.  Very 
shallow  ploughing  required  less  team,  and  would 
mellow  much  sooner  than  deep  breaking. 

The  first  crop  was  mostly  corn,  planted  by  cutting 
a  gash  with  an  axe  into  the  inverted  sod,  dropping 
the  corn  and  closing  it  by  another  blow  along  side 
the  first.  Or  it  was  dropped  in  every  third  furrow 
and  the  furrow  turned  on  ;  if  the  corn  was  so  placed 
as  to  find  the  space  between  the  furrows,  it  would 
find  daylight ;  if  not,  it  was  doubtful.  Corn  so 
planted  would,  as  cultivation  was  impossible,  pro- 
duce a  partial  crop,  sometimes  a  full  one.  Prairie 
sod  turned  in  June  would  be  in  condition  to  sow 
with  wheat  in  September,  or  to  put  in  with  corn  or 
oats  the  spring  following.  Vines  of  all  kinds  grew 
well  on  the  fresh  turned  sod,  melons  especially, 
though  the  wolves  usually  took  their  full  share  of 
these.  After  the  first  crop,  the  soil  was  kind,  and 
produced  any  crop  suited  to  the  climate.  But  when 
his  crops  were  growing,  the  settler  was  not  relieved 
from  toil.  His  chickens  must  have  shelter,  closed 
at  night  to  protect  them  from  the  owls  and  wolves  ; 
his  pigs  required  equal  protection  ;  and  although  his 
cows  and  oxen  roamed  on  the  wide  prairie  in  a  pro- 
fusion of  the  richest  pasture,  still  a  yard  must  be 
made  for  his  cows  at  night,  and  his  calves  by  day. 
The  cows  were  turned  in  with  the  calves  for  a  short 
time  at  night,   and  then  the  calves   turned  on  the 

10 


138  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

prairies  to  feed  during  the  night  ;  in  the  morning  the 
calves  were  turned  in  and  tlie  cows  turned  out  for 
their  day' s  pasture  ;  this  was  necessary  to  induce  the 
cows  to  come  rrp  at  night,  for  if  tlie  calves  were 
weaned  the  cows  would  fail  to  come.  And  the  stock 
all  needed  some  protection  from  the  fierce  win trj^  blast, 
though  sometimes  they  got  but  little.  Add  to  this, 
the  fencing  of  the  farm,  the  out-buildings,  hunting 
the  oxen  and  cows  on  the  limitless  prairies  through 
the  lieav}^  dews  of  late  evening  and  earlj^  morning, 
going  long  distances  to  market  and  to  mill,  aiding  a 
new  comer  to  build  his  cabin,  fighting  the  prairie 
fires  which  swept  over  the  countrj^  yearl}^,  and 
with  his  family  encountering  that  pest  of  a  new 
country,  the  fever  and  ague,  and  other  malarious 
diseases,  and  the  toil  and  endurance  of  a  settler  in 
a  new  countr}^  may  be  partiall}^,  but  not  fully 
appreciated. 

A  visitor  from  the  Eastern  States  has  often  taunted 
the  toiling  pioneers  with  such  remarks  as  these  : 
"Why  do  3^011  stack  out  your  hay  and  grain?" 
"Why  don't  you  have  barns,  comfortable  houses, 
stables  for  your  cattle,  and  other  conveniences  as 
we  have?"  He  should  have  been  answered,  "You 
are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  the  labor  of  generations 
of  your  ancestors,  while  we  have  to  create  all  we 
have.  We  have  made  necessaril}^  rude  and  cheap 
shelters  for  ourselves  and  animals,  have  fenced 
our  farms,  dug  our  wells,  have  to  make  our  roads, 
brido-e  our  streams,  build  our  school- houses, 
churches,  court-houses  and  jails,  and  when  one  im- 
provement is  complete,  another  want  stares   us  in 


Claims^  and  First  Inmrovements.  139 

the  face."  All  this  taxed  the  energies  of  the  new 
settler  to  the  extent  of  human  endurance,  and  man}" 
fell  by  the  way,  unable  to  meet  the  demands  upon 
their  energies. 

The  only  wonder  is  that  so  much  has  been  accom- 
plished ;  that  so  many  comforts,  conveniences  and 
luxuries  have  crowned  the  efforts  of  our  people  ; 
that  we  have  reached  a  point  for  which  a  century  of 
effort  might  well  have  been  allowed.  Political  and 
financial  theorists  have  tauntingly  told  the  farmers 
of  Illinois  that  they  know  nothing  of  finance,  except 
what  wiser  heads  have  told  them  ;  that  they  have 
made  nothing  by  farming,  and  would  be  poor  except 
for  the  advance  in  price  of  their  farms. 

These  Solons  should  be  told  that  it  is  the  toil  of 
those  farmers  that  has  made  their  farms  increase  in 
price  ;  their  toil  has  clothed  them  with  valuable  im- 
provements, planted  orchards  and  fruit  gardens, 
made  roads  and  bridges,  converted  a  wilderness  into 
ii  land  of  beauty,  and  made  it  the  happy  abode  of 
intelligent  men.  All  this  had  to  be  done  to  make 
these  farms  advance  in  price,  and  those  who  have 
done  this,  and  raised  and  educated  their  families, 
have  done  well ;  and  if  the  advance  in  the  price  of 
their  farms  has  given  them  a  competence,  it  is  what 
they  anticipated,  and  nothing  but  the  most  perse- 
vering industry  and  frugality  would  have  accom- 
plished it. 

In  addition  to  the  labor  and  multitude  of  cares  that 
beset  the  new  comer,  he  had  it  all  to  accomplish  un- 
der disadvantages,  and  to  encounter  dangers  that  of 
themselves  were  sufficient  to  discourage  men  not  of 


140  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

stern  resolve.  Traveling  nnworked  roads,  and  cross- 
ing streams  without  bridges,  was  often  a  perilous 
adventure.  Many  were  the  hair-breadth  escapes 
which  most  of  the  early  settlers  can  recall,  and 
which,  in  later  years,  were  never  referred  to  without 
a  thrill  of  emotion.  Up  to  the  time  of  building  the 
first  bridge  over  the  Yerraillion,  the  writer  had  a 
record  of  twent^^-five  persons  drowned  in  that  treach- 
erous stream,  within  a  distance  of  ten  miles  each 
way  from  that  locality — all  drowned  in  attempting 
to  ford  the  stream.  It  was  a  common  remark,  that 
when  a  man  left  home  in  the  morning,  it  was  very 
uncertain  whether  his  wife' s  next  dress  would  be  a 
black  one,  or  of  some  other  color. 

Crossing  the  wide  prairie  at  night,  with  not  even 
the  wind  or  stars  for  guides,  was  a  very  uncertain 
adventure,  and  often  the  wa3^farer  traveled  till  ex- 
hausted, and  encamped  till  the  morning  light  should 
guide  him  on  his  way.  In  warm  weather,  although 
an  unpleasant  exposure,  this  was  not  a  dangf^rous 
one  ;  and  although  the  sensation  of  being  lost  is  more 
irksome,  and  the  lonely  silence  in  the  middle  of  a 
prairie,  broken  only  by  the  howl  of  the  wolves,  is 
more  unpleasant  than  one  inexperienced  would 
imagine,  and  the  gnawing  of  a  stomach  innocent  of 
supper,  adds  much  to  the  discomfort,  it  all  passes 
with  the  night,  and  a  brighter  view  and  happier 
feelino:s  dawn  with  the  breakino;  morn.  But  cross- 
ing  the  trackless  prairie  when  covered  with  a  dreary 
expanse  of  snow,  with  the  tierce,  unbroken  wintry 
blasts  sweeping  over  its  glistening  surface,  penetrat- 
ing to  the  very  marrow,  was  sometimes  a  fearful  and 


Claims,  and  First  Ira'provements.  141 

dangerous  experience.  No  condition  could  inspire 
a  more  perfect  idea  of  lonely  desolation,  of  entire 
discomfort,  of  helplessness,  and  of  dismal  forebod- 
ings, than  to  find  one's  self  lost  on  the  snow-covered 
prairie,  witli  no  object  in  sight  in  any  direction  but 
the  cold,  undulating  snow  wreaths,  and  a  dark 
and  tempestuous  winter  night  fast  closing  around 
his  chilled  and  exhausted  frame.  His  sagacious 
horse,  by  spasmodic  eftbrts  and  continuous  neigh- 
ing, shows  that,  with  his  master,  he  appreciates  the 
danger,  and  shares  his  fearful  anticipations.  With 
what  longing  the  lost  one  reflects  on  the  cozy  fireside 
of  his  warm  cabin,  surrounded  by  his  loved  ones, 
which  he  fears  he  may  never  see  ;  and  when  the 
dark  shadow  of  night  has  closed  around  and  shut 
in  the  landscape,  and  chance  alone  can  bring  relief, 
a  Joyous  neigh  and  powerful  spring  from  his  noble 
horse,  calls  his  eye  in  the  direction  he  has  taken,  he 
sees  over  the  bleak  expanse  a  faint  light  in  the  dis- 
tance, toward  which  his  horse  is  bounding  with  ac- 
celerated speed,  equally  with  his  master  cheered 
and  exhilarated  by  the  beacon  light,  which  the  hand 
of  afllection  has  placed  at  the  window,  to  lead  the 
lost  one  to  his  home.  Nearly  every  early  settler 
can  remember  such  an  experience,  while  some  never 
reached  the  home  they  sought,  but,  chilled  to  a 
painless  slumber,  they  found  the  sleep  that  knows 
no  waking. 


142  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

MIRAGE,  AND  TRAVELING  AT  NIGHT. 

Mirage,  or  looming,  in  peculiar  states  of  the  at- 
mosphere, is  or  was  very  common  on  the  prairie,  as 
is  usual  in  any  country  with  a  flat,   or  nearly  level 
surface.    A  grove  or  improvement,  which  is  ordinarily 
hid  by  an  intervening  ridge  of  high  land,  will  occa- 
sionally be  apparentlj^  elevated,  so  it  can  be  seen  as 
fully  and  perfectly  as  if  the  observer  were  standing 
on  the  highest  point  of  the  intervening  ridge.     The 
writer  was  traveling  in  a  partially  cloudy  day,  from 
Peru  to  Palestine  Grove,  in  Lee  County,  and  when 
on  the  level  prairie,  two  or  three  miles  south  of  the 
ridge  which  constitutes  the   divide  separating  the 
waters  of  Bureau  creek  from  those  that  flow  to  the 
Illinois,  he  suddenly  beheld  the  country  lying  north 
of  the  divide,  rise  into  sight,  with  every  feature  as 
distinctly  marked,  as  if  seen  from  a  position  directly 
over  it.     Perkins,  Knox,  and  Palestine  groves,  with 
Bureau  creek,  and  the  scattering  timber  that  skirts 
its  banks,  and  the  farm  houses,   were  all  distinctly 
recognized,  as  they  had  many  times  been  seen  from 
different  points  of  the  ridge,  south  and  east  of  the  Bu- 
reau.    The  view  is  a  fine  one,  and  could  not  be  mis- 
taken.     Gradually,   in  ten   or  fifteen  minutes,   the 
vision  faded  from  sight,  and  when,  half  an  hour  later, 
the  same  view  was  seen  from  the  dividing  ridge,  with- 
out a  change  in  appearance,  it  was  evident  it  must 
have  been  elevated  several  hundred  feet  to  have  met 
the  view.    Mirage  is  more  common  in  a  still,  slightly 
hazy  atmosphere,  and  no  doubt  has  bewildered  and 
led  many  a  traveler  astray.     Jefferson,  in  his  Notes 


Mirage,  and  Traveling  at  Nigld.  143 


on  Virginia,  speaks  of  the  same  appearance  as  fre- 
quently occurring  in  the   mountainous  districts  of 

that  State. 

Crossing  the  uncultivated  prairie  in  a  cloudy  night, 
or  in  a  snowy  or  foggy  day,  was  very  liable  to  have 
an  uncertain  come  out.     In  a  clear  night,  the  stars 
were  a  very  reliable  guide,  and  like  the  Eastern  magi 
on   the  plains  of  Syria,  the  settlers  came  to  have 
a  close   acquaintance   with   the    constellations.     A 
steady  wind  was  a  very  reliable  guide  ;  the   traveler 
woukl  get  his   bearing,  then  notice  how  the  wind 
struck  his  nose,  right  or  left  ear,  etc.,  and  then  keep 
that  same  sensation,  regardless  of  any  other  guide,^ 
and   he  would  generally    come  out  right.     But  if 
the    wind   changed,    of    course   he    went   with  it. 
Without  these  guides,  it  was  a  mere  accident  if  a 
person  succeeded  in  a  still  atmosphere,  in  a  cloudy 
night,  or  snowy  or  foggy  day,  in  crossing  a  prairie 
of  any  extent.     There  is  al  ways  a  tendency  to  go  in 
a  circle  ;  the  world  moves  in  a  circle  ;  planets  and 
suns,    comets   and   meteors,    all    move    in    circles. 
Blindfold  a  person,    place   him  in  a  large  hall  let 
him  be  a  novice,  uncautioned,  and  in  a  majority  of 
cases  he  will  go  several  times  around  the  hall  before 
he  hits  the  side.     The  writer,  with  an  ox  team,  in  a 
dark  evening  started  to  go  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  to  strike  a  point  of  timber,  but  failing  to  do  so, 
kept  traveling  till  late  in  the  evening,  when   acci- 
dentally the  timber  was  found,  and  followed  to  the 
desired  point ;  the  next  morning  developed  the  fact 
that  the  ox  team  had  traveled  three  times  around 
about  a  quarter-section,  following  very  nearly  the 


144  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


same  track  each  time.  A  young  man  left  Farm 
Ridge  on  foot,  for  Ttica,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening  ;  a  light  snow  several  inches  in  depth,  had 
just  fallen,  and  there  was  no  track.  He  traveled 
till  he  supposed  he  saw  the  Illinois  timber,  and  in 
beating  about  trjang  to  see  through  the  darkness,  he 
tramped  a  broad  place  in  the  snow  :  he  traveled 
rapidly  all  night,  most  of  the  time,  as  he  thought. 
in  sight  of  the  timber,  and  when  morning  dawned 
found  himself  at  the  place  where  he  had  tramped 
the  snow  in  the  centre  of  a  four-mile  prairie. 

A  gentleman,  fresh  from  New  England,  who  was 
viewing  the  country  on  the  Vermillion,  proposed 
to  take  a  bee  line  for  Ottawa  across  the  prairie  on 
foot.  He  was  advised  to  take  the  road,  as  beins 
easier  traveling  and  decidedly  safer  ;  that  without 
any  track  he  might  get  benighted  on  the  prairie,  for 
although  the  day  was  clear  he  would  for  part  of  the 
distance  be  out  of  sight  of  timber,  and  he  might 
mistake  his  course  and  be  lost.  He  indignantly 
replied  :  ' '  Do  jow.  think  I  am  a  fool,  that  I  can  not 
cross  a  six-mile  prairie  in  broad  daylight  i  if  it  were 
three  times  that  I  could  do  it  :'"  and  about  noon 
started  on  foot,  after  ascertaining  the  direction. 
About  twelve  o'clock  that  night  he  got  to  the  settle- 
ment on  the  Vermillion,  five  miles  further  from 
Ottawa  than  when  lie  started,  nearly  famished  and 
exhausted.  After  a  good  night's  rest,  and  supply- 
ing the  inner  man.  next  morning  he  took  the 
traveled  road  for  Ottawa. 


Prairie  Fires.  145 


PRAIRIE  FIRES. 

The  yearly  burning  of  the  heavy  annual  growth 
of  grass  on  the  prairie,  which  had  occurred  from 
time  immemorial,  either  from  natural  causes  or  from 
being  set  by  human  hands,  was  continued  after  the 
white  settlers  came  in,   and  was  a  source  of  much 
annoyance,  apprehension,  and  frequently  of  severe 
loss.     From  the  time  the  grass  would  burn,  which 
was-  soon   after   the   first   frost,  usually  about   the 
first  of  October,  till  the  surrounding  prairie  was  all 
burnt  over,  or  if  not  all  burnt,  till  the  green  grass 
in  the  spring  had  grown  sufficiently  to  prevent  the 
rapid  progress  of  the  fire,  the  early  settlers  were 
continually  on  the  watch,  and  as  they  usually  ex- 
pressed the  idea,   ' '  slept  with  one  eye  open. ' '    When 
the  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  or  during  rainy 
weather,  the  apprehension  was  quieted,   and  both 
eyes  could  be  safely  closed. 

A  statute  law  forbid  setting  the  prairie  on  fire, 
and  one  doing  so  was  subject  to  a  penalty,  and 
liable  in  an  action  of  trespass  for  the  damage  ac- 
cruing. But  convictions  were  seldom  eftected,  as 
the  proof  was  difficult,  though  the  fire  was  often 

set. 

Fires  set  on  the  leeward  side  of  an  improvement, 
while  very  dangerous  to  the  improvements  to  the 
leeward,  were  not  so  to  the  windward,  as  fire  pro- 
gressing against  the  wind  is  easily  extinguished. 

Imagine  the  feelings  of  the  man  who,  alone  in  a 
■strange  land,  has  made  a  comfortable  home  for  his 
family  ;  has  raised  and  stored  his  corn,  wheat  and 


14G  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

oats,  and  fodder  for  stock,  and  lias  his  premises 
surrounded  by  a  sea  of  standina-  o-rass,  drv  as 
tinder,  stretching  away  for  miles  in  every  direction, 
over  which  the  wild  prairie  wind  howls  a  dismal 
requiem,  and  knowing  that  a  spark  or  match  ap- 
plied in  all  that  distance  will  send  a  sea  of  fire 
wherever  the  wind  may  waft  it  :  and  conscious  of 
the  fact  that  there  are  men  who  would  embrace  the 
first  opportunity  to  send  the  fire  from  outside  their 
own  fields,  rea-ardless  as  to  whom  it  might  consume, 
only  so  it  protected  their  own. 

Various  means  were  resorted  to  for  protection  ;  a 
common  one  was  to  plow  with  a  prairie  plow  several 
furrows  around  a  strip,  several  rods  wide,  outside 
the  improvements,  and  then  burn  out  the  strip  ;  or 
wait  till  the  prairie  was  on  fire  and  then  set  fire 
outside,  reserving  the  strip  for  a  late  burn,  that 
is,  till  the  following  summer,  and  in  July  burn  both 
old  grass  and  new.  The  grass  would  start  imme- 
diately, and  the  cattle  would  feed  it  close  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  older  grass,  so  that  the  fire  would  not 
pass  over  it  the  following  autumn.  This  process 
repeated  would  soon,  or  in  a  few  years,  run  out  the 
prairie  grass,  and  in  time  it  v/ould  become  stocked 
with  blue  grass  which  will  never  burn  to  anr  extent. 
But  all  this  took  time  and  labor,  and  the  crowd  of 
business  on  the  hands  of  a  new  settler,  of  which  a 
novice  has  no  conception,  would  prevent  him  doing 
what  would  now  seem  a  small  matter :  and  all  such 
effort  was  often  futile,  a  prairie  fire  driven  by  a  high 
wind  would  often  leap  all  such  barriers  and  seem 
to  put  human  eff'ort  at  d(^fitince.     A  prairie  fire  when 


Prairie  Fires.  ]  47 


first  started  goes  straight  forward  with  a  velocity 
proportioned  to  the  force  of  the  wind,  Avidening 
as  it  goes,  but  the  centre  keeping  ahead — it  spreads 
sideways,  but  burning  laterally,  it  burns  compar- 
atively slow,  and  if  the  wind  is  moderate  and 
steady,  is  not  difficult  to  manage,  but  if  the  wind 
veers  a  point  or  two,  first  one  way  and  then  the 
other,  it  sends  tlie  side  fire  beyond  control.  The 
head  fire  in  dry  grass  and  a  high  wind  is  fearful, 
and  pretty  sure  to  have  its  own  way  unless  there  is 
some  defensible  point  from  which  to  meet  it.  A 
contest  with  such  a  fire  requires  an  engineering  skill 
and  tact  which  can  be  learned  only  by  experience, 
and  a  neighborhood  of  settlers  called  out  by  such  an 
exigency  at  once  put  themselves  under  the  direction 
of  the  oldest  and  most  experienced  of  the  number, 
and  go  to  work  with  the  alacrity  and  energy  of  men 
defending  their  homes  and  property  from  destruc- 
tion. 

The  usual  way  of  meeting  an  advancing  fire  is 
to  begin  the  defense  where  the  head  of  the  fire  will 
strike,  which  is  known  by  the  smoke  and  ashes 
brought  by  the  wind  long  in  advance  of  the  fire. 
A  road,  cattle  path  or  furrow  is  of  great  value  at 
such  a  place  ;  if  there  is  none  such,  a  strip  of  the 
grass  can  be  wet,  if  water  can  be  procured,  which 
is  generally  scarce  at  the  time  of  the  annual  fires. 
On  the  outside,  or  side  next  tlie  coming  fire,  of  such 
road  or  path,  the  grass  is  set  on  fire,  and  it  burns 
slowly  against  the  wind  till  it  meets  the  coming  con- 
flagration, which  stops  of  course  for  \vant  of  fuel, 
provided   there   has  been  sufficient  time  to  burn  a 


148  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

strip  that  will  not  be  leaped  by  the  head  lire  as  it 
comes  in.  This  is  called  back-firing  ;  great  care  is 
necessary  to  prevent  the  fire  getting  over  the  fnrrow, 
path,  or  whatever  is  used  as  a  base  of  operations. 
If  it  gets  over  and  once  under  way,  there  is  no  rem- 
edy but  to  fall  back  to  a  more  defensible  position,  if 
such  an  one  exists. 

If  the  head  of  the  fire  is  successfully  checked, 
then  the  forces  are  divided,  half  going  to  the  right, 
and  half  to  the  left,  and  the  back-firing  continued, 
to  meet  the  side  fires  as  they  come  up ;  this  must 
be  continued  till  the  fire  is  checked  along  the  entire 
front  of  the  premises  endangered,  and  the  sides 
secured. 

Various  implements  were  used  to  put  out  a  side 
or  back  fire,  or  even  the  head  of  a  fire  in  a  moderate 
wind.  A  fence  board,  about  four  to  six  feet  long, 
with  one  end  shaved  down  for  a  handle,  is  very 
effective,  if  struck  fiat  upon  the  narrow  strip  of  fire. 
A  bundle  of  hazel-brush  does  very  well,  and  a  spade 
or  shovel  is  often  used.  The  women  often  lent  their 
aid,  in  cases  of  danger ;  their  weapon  was  usually 
the  kitchen  mop,  which,  when  thorouglily  wet,  was 
very  eflacient,  especially  in  extinguishing  a  fence  on 
fire.  Wlien  the  fire  overcame  all  op])Osition,  and 
seemed  bound  to  sweep  over  the  settlement,  a  fear 
of  personal  loss  would  paralyze,  for  the  moment, 
every  faculty,  and  as  soon  as  that  fact  seemed  immi- 
nent, united  effort  ceased,  and  each  one  hastened  to 
defend  his  own  as  best  he  could.  It  is  due  to  his- 
torical truth  to  say  that  the  actual  losses  were  much 
less   than  might  have  been  expected,   though  fre- 


Prairie  Fires.  149' 


quently  quite  severe.  The  physical  efforts  made  in 
extinguishing  a  dangerous  fire,  and  in  protecting 
one's  home  from  the  devouring  element,  were  very 
often  severe,  and  even  dangerous,  and  the  author 
has  known  of  more  than  one  instance  where  it  re- 
sulted fatally. 

The  premises  about  the  residences  and  yards  being 
tramped  by  the  family  and  domestic  animals,  after 
a  year  or  two,  became  tolerably  safe  from  fire,  but 
the  fences,  corn  and  stubble  fields  were  frequently 
burnt  over.  When  the  prairie  was  all  fenced  and 
under  cultivation,  so  that  prairie  fires  were  among 
the  things  of  the  past,  the  denizens  of  the  prairie 
were  happily  released  from  the  constant  fear  and 
apprehension  which  for  years  had  rested  like  a 
nightmare  on  their  quiet  and  happiness,  disturbing 
tlieir  sleep  by  night,  and  causing  anxiety  by  day, 
especially  when  called  from  home,  knowing  that  on 
their  return  they  might  look  on  a  blackened  scene 
of  desolation,  instead  of  the  pleasant  home  they  left. 
And  when  returning  after  a  day's  absence,  the  sight 
of  a  fire  in  the  direction  of  home,  although  it  might 
prove  to  be  several  miles  beyond,  would  try  the 
mettle  of  the  team,  by  putting  them  to  a  speed  pro- 
portioned to  the  anxiety  of  the  driver.  And  here  it 
may  be  well  to  throw  a  little  cold  water  over  the 
thrilling  and  fearful  stories,  got  up  to  adorn  a  tale, 
of  hair-breadth  escapes  of  travelers  and  settlers  from 
prairie  fires  ;  such  stories  are  not  told  by  the  old 
settlers,  who  know  whereof  they  speak.  It  is  true, 
a  family  might  encamp  in  the  middle  of  a  dense 
growth  of  dry  grass,  and  let  a  fire  sweep  over  their 


150  Hlstorij  of  La  i^alle  Count ij. 


camp,  to  their  serious  injury.  But  with  ordinary 
intelligence  and  caution,  a  traveler  on  the  prairie 
need  have  no  fear  of  a  fatal  catastrophe,  or  even  of 
any  serious  danger.  If  the  head  of  a  hre  is  approach- 
ing, it  is  usuall}^  an  easy  matter  to  get  to  one  side 
of  it,  and  when  it  has  passed,  pass  over  the  side  fire 
on  to  the  burnt  prairie,  which  can  easily  be  done,  by 
getting  on  to  a  spot  of  dry,  rolling  jorairie,  where  the 
grass  is  seldom  more  than  eight  to  twelve  inches 
high.  Or,  if  the  head  fire  is  too  wide,  and  its  speed 
too  great  to  allow  getting  around  it,  then  at  once 
set  a  fire  to  leeward,  and  when  it  has  burnt  a  short 
distance,  put  out  the  fire  on  the  windward  side  of 
the  place  of  setting,  and  pass  on  to  the  burnt  prairie 
and  follow  the  fire  till  far  enough  from  the  dry  grass 
to  be  out  of  danger.  There  are  places  on  low,  moist 
prairie  bottoms,  or  sloughs,  where  the  grass  and 
weeds  were  much  heavier  than  on  dryer  land,  and 
their  burning  was  terrific  and  dangerous  ;  but  these 
places  could  be  avoided,  as  an  approaching  fire 
could  be  seen  a  long  distance,  giving  time  to  prepare 
for  its  coming. 

The  early  settlers  will  ever  have  a  vivid  recollec- 
tion of  the  grand  illuminations  nightly  exhibited  in 
dry  weather,  from  early  fall  to  late  spring,  b}^  num- 
berless prairie  fires.  The  whole  horizon  would  be 
lighted  up  around  its  entire  circuit.  A  lieav}'  fire, 
six  or  seven  miles  away,  would  afford  sufficient  light 
on  a  dark  night  to  enable  one  to  read  fine  print. 
When  a  fire  had  passed  through  the  prairie,  leaving 
the  long  lines  of  side  fires,  like  two  armies  facing- 
each  other,   at  night,  the  sight  was  grand  ;  and  if 


Amusements.  151 


one's  premises  were  securely  protected,  he' could 
enjoy  such  a  fire  exhibition  hugel}',  free  of  cost ; 
but  if  his  property  was  exposed,  his  enjojanent  of 
the  scene  was  like  a  ver}^  nervous  person' s  apprecia- 
tion of  the  grand  and  majestic  roll  of  thunder — the 
sublimit}^  of  the  scene  lost  in  the  apprehension  of 
danger. 


AMUSEMENTS. 


Of  amusements,  distinctiveiy,  the  early  settlers 
could  hardly  be  said  to  have  any,  A  sparse  popu- 
lation, widely  separated,  without  roads  or  bridges, 
could  not  be  expected  to  meet  in  any  considerable 
numbers  for  an  evening' s  entertainment.  Traveling 
concerts,  troupes,  lecturers,  or  showmen,  would 
have  found  poor  success  among  the  scattered,  poor 
and  hard-working  pioneers.  To  a  social,  compan- 
ionable temperament  this  seclusion  from  society, 
its  i^leasures  and  amusements,  was  a  deprivation 
most  keenly  felt.  But  tliere  were  many  sources  of 
amusement  and  gratification,  which  were  made  the 
most  of,  and  utilized  economically.  In  the  first 
place,  there  was  a  release  from  restraint — a  sense  of 
wild  freedom  peculiar  to  the  frontier — that  was  ex- 
hilarating and  enjoyable.  In  losing  the  pleasure  of 
society  we  get  clear  of  many  irksome  jars  and  annoy- 
ances insei)arable  from  a  dense  population.  The 
Indian  in  his  native  wilds ;  the  Arab  on  his  barb. 


5 


^oursino;   over    the   sands   of  the   desert ;   and  the 


^t7 


pioneer  on  the  broad,  unoccupied  prairie,  breathe  a 


152  Historij  of  La  Salle  County. 

fuller  inspiration  ;  have  a  brighter  vision  ;  drink  in 
v^ith  a  keener  relish  the  beauties  of  nature ;  feast 
on  the  creations  of  a  more  vivid  imagination,  and 
have  a  conciousness  of  a  noble  existence,  closer  in 
contact  with  the  Anthor  of  all  that  exists,  than  one 
of  tlie  jostled  crowd  that  breathes  the  smoke  and 
offensive  odors  of  the  populous  cit}^  or  town.  Then 
the  few  pleasures  possessed  were  highly  enjoj^ed. 
Too  oft  repeated,  any  enjoyment  loses  its  zest. 
A  visit  to  a  brother  settler,  after  weeks  or  months  of 
absence,  was  highly  enjoyed.  Experiences  were  re- 
lated, family  history  given,  news  from  distant  friends 
and  other  settlers  recounted,  crop  prospects  and  mar- 
kets, new  comers,  and  future  prospects  of  tlie  settle- 
ment were  all  discussed  and  listened  to  with  an  inter- 
est  unequaled  by  that  of  men  on  the  stock  exchange 
in  New  York  or  London.  These  visits  were  regularly 
made  at  an  early  day,  and  are  recurred  to  now,  as 
an  oasis  in  a  desert  of  solitude.  The  same  cordial, 
friendly  feeling  does  not  exist  to-day,  and  probably 
never  will  again. 

The  abundance  of  game  made  hunting  and  fish- 
ing a  very  delightful  recreation,  and  the  successes  in 
those  pastimes  then,  if  truthfully  recounted  now, 
would  be  regarded  as  an  old  man's  hunting  story, 
to  be  believed  or  not,  at  pleasure. 

Log-cabin  raisings,  elections,  political  meetings, 
(for  the  Western  custom  of  stump  speaking  came 
with  the  pioneers)  were  all  enjoyable  occasions,  as 
they  brouglit  togetlier  the  widely-scattered  neigh- 
bors. But  the  camp  meeting  was  looked  for- 
ward to  as,  par  excellence,  a  social,  enjoyable  time, 


Amusements.  1 53 


and  one  of  much  interest.  Those  indefatigable 
pioneers,  the  itinerant  Methodist  preachers,  circu- 
lating on  the  frontiers,  were  a  valuable  boon, 
socially  as  well  as  religiously,  as  their  quarterly 
and  camp  meetings  brought  the  people  together  as 
no  other  occasion  did. 

Court  week  at  the  county  seat  was  with  some  a 
season  of  relaxation, ^a  custom  prevailing  in  some 
sections,  and  transferred  by  the  emigrants  from 
those  localities  to  this.  The  custom  was  not  gene- 
rally adopted,  and  gradually  faded  out. 

A  custom  that  has  largely  prevailed  both  West 
and  South,  and  still  adhered  to  in  many  localities,  is 
to  make  Saturday  afternoon  a  holiday,  to  meet  in 
some  village  at  some  public  corner,  grocery  or 
tavern,  and  have  a  Jolly  time.  Horse-racing, 
athletic  sports,  as  wrestling,  jumping,  quoits,  etc., 
beguiled  the  time,  and  sometimes  after  freely  pay- 
ing the  drinks,  a  free  hght  or  two,  which  made 
Monday  a  public  day,  with  trials  for  assault. 

This  practice  has  never  prevailed  to  any  extent  in 
La  Salle  County.  The  few  tliat  favored  such  a 
course  have  yielded  to  a  healthy  public  sentiment 
which  has  ever  leaned  to  temperance  and  public 
order.  Divested  of  its  objectionable  features  the 
relaxation  and  proper  amusement  would  be  val- 
uable. 

Wolf  hunts  have  been  made  exciting  sport.     By 

previous  concerted  agreement,    the  settlements   on 

the  circumference  of  a  large  prairie  would  move  in 

line  toward  a  flag  in  the  centre,  driving  the  wolves 

and  other  game  before  them,  closing  the  line  so  as 
11 


154  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

to  make  a  complete  circle  as  they  approached  the 
centre-pole,  where  the  game  was  shot  or  killed  by 
dogs.  Tin  horns,  cow  bells,  and  all  instruments  that 
could  be  used  to  make  a  noise,  were  carried  by  the 
company  to  arouse  the  game.  It  was  exciting  sport, 
but  generally  the  discipline  and  leading  were  bad, 
an  open  space  was  left  for  the  wolves  to  escape,  and 
the  result  was  more  noise  and  sport,  than  game. 

It  will  be  observed  that  all  the  amusements  or 
recreations  were  masculine  and  for  men  alone,  except 
visiting  and  camp  meetings,  in  which  the  women  par- 
ticipated. And  it  was  a  common  remark  that  Illi- 
nois furnished  an  easy  berth  for  men  and  oxen  but  a 
hard  one  for  women  and  horses  ;  and  it  was  true  in 
its  reference  to  women  ;  there  were  more  homesick 
women  than  men,  and  if  any  class  of  the  early  set- 
tlers was  deserving  more  sympathy  than  another 
it  was  the  matrons,  the  wives  of  the  pioneers,  whose 
domestic  cares  confined  them  at  home  with  the  duties 
and  responsibilities  of  maternity,  where  nurses  and 
help  could  not  be  procured,  with  no  amusements 
and  little  social  intercourse. 

Custom  permitted  them  to  carry  their  babies  to 
church  and  other  public  places,  or  they  could  not 
have  left  home  at  all.  Such  confinement,  unrelieved 
by  seasons  of  relaxation,  wears  upon  the  faculties 
and  brings  premature  old  age.  Amusement  and 
relaxation  for  both  young  and  old,  are  as  essential 
to  health  and  longevity  as  proper  food  and  clothing, 
and,  when  separated  from  intemperance  and  rowdy- 
ism, should  be  encouraged  by  the  best  classes  of 
society.  Want  of  them  shortened  the  lives  of  many 
of  the  pioneers. 


Sickness.  155 


SICKNESS. 

Health  is  the  greatest  blessing  vouchsafed  to  man, 
and  sickness  the  greatest  evil,  and  this  too  when 
a.mong  kind  friends  and  all  the  comforts  of  an  old 
country,  and  a  dense  population.  But  to  the  settler 
in  a  new  country,  with  few  neighbors,  and  whose 
home  and  surroundings  will  barely  serve  in  a  time 
■of  health,  sickness  comes  clad  in  a  darker  garb, 
and  a  more  disheartening  aspect — and  a  new  country 
is  ever  cursed  with  a  double  amount  of  sickness. 
There  are  but  few  localities  in  the  United  States  where 
malarious  disease  was  not  developed  by  clearing  off* 
the  timber  or  breaking  the  prairie  sod.  Bilious  fevers 
and  agues  were  the  most  common  form,  and  however 
exempt  any  localit}^  may  be  from  these  diseases 
after  a  few  years  of  culture,  the  pioneer  almost 
always  had  to  face  them.  Aside  from  the  suffering 
and  discomfort^  which  are  not  light,  the  loss  to  one's 
business,  want  of  care  to  stock  and  crops,  was 
heavy.  At  a  place  where  no  help  could  be  hired,  and 
where  the  few  and  distant  neighbors  who  were  willing 
to  aid  a  brother  emigrant  were  most  likely  in  the 
same  circnmstances  at  the  same  time,  the  unfortunate 
invalid  had  to  sweat  it  out  alone,  or  sometimes  with 
his  whole  family  as  his  unhappy  companions  ;  and 
he  had  a  stout  heart  and  steady  nerve  who  did  not 
quail  under  the  affliction,  and  resolve  to  return  to 
the  home  he  left  in  such  robust  health,  when  return- 
ing strength  enabled  him  to  do  it ;  but  with  return- 
ing health  and  the  opening  of  another  spring  his 
views  became  radically  changed.     The  world,  bare 


156  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

and  gloomy  seen  through  bilious  eyes,  with  a 
throbbing  head  and  aching  back,  now  assumes  the 
brighter  hues  of  the  land  of  promise.  The  suffer- 
ings of  the  past  are  forgotten,  and  the  plow  is 
again  cheerily  followed.  It  was  well  understood 
that  the  first  attack  of  ague  was  the  worst  ;  and 
after  the  first  seasoning,  as  it  was  called,  there  was 
not  so  much  to  fear  :  it  was  found  too,  that  there  were 
but  few  deaths  compared  with  the  amount  of  sick- 
ness, and  it  was  a  common  remark  bv  the  sick, 
homesick,  and  discouraged  invalid  that  that  was  the 
worst  feature  in  the  case,  that  death  would  be  a 
relief. 

Seasons  have  occurred  when  whole  neighborhoods 
were  prostrated  at  once,  and  nurses  and  help  were  out 
of  the  question  :  at  such  times  one  or  two  individuals 
more  fortunate  than  the  others,  would  daily  visit 
each  house,  administer  medicine,  place  water  by  the 
side  of  each  bed.  carry  a  pail  of  gruel,  leave  a  little 
for  each  patient,  and  then  return  to  watch  by  their 
own  suffering  families.  It  is  true  such  were  extreme 
cases,  but  it  is  equally  true  that  the}'  did  occur  and 
were  repeated. 

Such  sickness  was  confined  to  the  last  of  summer 
and  fall.  There  was  but  little  sickness  in  winter 
except  a  few  lingering  fall  cases  that  had  become 
chronic  :  there  were  but  few  new  cases  after  severe 
frosts,  and  the  spring  and  early  summer  were  per- 
fectly healthy.  It  was  a  common  remark  that  when 
the  bloom  of  the  resin  weed  and  other  yellow  flowers 
appeared  it  was  time  to  look  for  the  ague.  The  first 
spring  flowers  on  the  prairie  were  mostl}^  pink  and 


Sickness.  157 


white,  then  followed  purple  and  blue,  and  about  the 
middle  of  August  yellow  predominated,  and  that 
was  about  the  season  for  ague  to  commence. 

While  the  immense  amount  of  vegetation  which 
covered  the  prairie  was  rapidly  growing,  it  doubtless 
purified  the  air,  and  made  that  season  healthful, 
but  when  that  mass  of  vegetation  ceased  growing  it 
reversed  the  process :  it  imbibed  oxygen,  and  exhaled 
nitrogen,  and  the  atmosphere  became  impure,  and  a 
cause  of  disease.  Added  to  this  was  the  decay  of  the 
prairie  sod  ;  this  was  usually  turned  in  June,  and 
each  settler  commenced  his  improvement  near  the 
house.  Walk  across  such  a  breaking  in  a  warm 
■evening  in  August  or  September,  and  the  effluvia 
from  the  decaying  sod  was  found  to  be  quite  often- 
sive,  and  must  have  sent  sickness  and  suffering  to 
the  little  cabin  alongside. 

High  water  in  spring,  flooding  the  bottoms  and 
filling  the  lagoons  and  low  places  along  the  streams, 
and  then  drying  off  with  the  hot  sun  of  July  and 
August,  was  a  fruitful  cause  of  disease,  and  in  such 
localities  it  was  often  quite  sickly,  while  the  high 
prairie  was  comjDaratively  exempt. 

At  this  day,  people  can  hardly  appreciate  the 
trying  scenes  through  which  the  pioneers  have 
passed.  Most  of  them  made  their  improvements 
with  their  own  hands,  and  when  prostrated  by 
disease  those  hands  ceased  their  bus,y  toil,  and  the 
work  of  the  half-opened  farm  was  at  a  stand-still. 
The  family  if  not  themselves  shaking  with  chills, 
might  milk  the  cows  if  they  could  get  them  from 
their  wide  range  on  the  prairie,  and  might  feed  the 


158  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

pigs    and    chickens  ;    but  the   cows   often   played 
truant,  and  were  useless  until  another  spring.     The 
doctor,    the    mill    and     the     store,    were    distant. 
They  had  kind  friends  that  would  gladly   sympa- 
thize with  their  sufferings,  care  for  their  business, 
and    bathe    their    fevered    brows,   but    they   were 
far  away.     Hundreds    of  weary    miles  intervened 
between  them  and  their  kindred,  and  alone  they  lay 
listening  to  the  howling  of  the  wolves,  and  reflect- 
ing on  the  wasting  crops  and  their  hapless   situa- 
tion.    But  a  kind  neighbor  with  a  healthful,  cheer- 
ful countenance,  would  look  in.  attend  to  the  most 
pressing   necessities,  tell   them   his  tale  of  deeper 
suffering  and  how  he  surmounted  it  all,  and  was 
now^  prosperous,  and  they  would  soon  experience 
the    same,    and    for  a   time   their   pains  were  for- 
gotten.    One  who  has  never  been  in  that  situation 
can  not  begin  to  appreciate  the  cheering  influence  of 
a  sympathizing  human  countenance,  after  days  of 
lonely  despondency  and  heart-sick  forebodings  for 
the  future.     It  is  then  that  one  can  realize  the  value 
of  human  sj^mpathy  and  the  kindness  of  his  brother 
man.     In  some  way  that  can  hardly  be  explained, 
the    sick    soon    rallied    from    their    disease,    and 
recuperated  not  only  their  bodies  but  their  business, 
and  learned  to  laugh  at  the  gloomy  forebodings  ; 
and  in  after  years  the}'  would  recount  the  desperate 
determinations  thej^  then  formed,  and  their  recital 
would  be  a  source  of  much  merriment.     One  old 
lady,  weak  and  petulant  from  a  long  siege  of  ague, 
looking   out    on   the  prairie    after    a    heavy   rain, 
exclaimed,  "This  is  the  most  God-forsaken  country 


Sickness.  159 


under  the  sun  ;  it  is  fit  onl}*  for  Indians,  prairie 
wolves  and  rattlesnakes,  and  tliej^  liave  about  got 
possession;  I  wish  it  was  sunk  I  "  and  then,  check- 
ing herself,  said,  "but  that  ain't  much  of  a  wish, 
for  it  wouldn't  have  to  go  down  over  fifteen  inches 
to  be  all  under  water." 

The  fall  of  1835  was  quite  sickly,  but  1838  Avas 
much  more  so,  and  probably  there  was  more  sick- 
ness and  more  deaths  in  proportion  to  population, 
in  1838,  than  in  any  year  since  the  settlement  of  the 
country.  At  Rockwell,  La  Salle,  Peru,  and  all  the 
river  towns  nearly  all  were  sick,  and  man}"  died, 
and  fears  were  expressed  that  it  would  always  be 
unhealthy  along  the  Illinois  river  ;  a  prediction  that 
has  not  been  verified.  An  excessive  spring  flood 
that  covered  the  bottoms  till  the  middle  of  summer, 
and  then  dried  off  with  extreme  hot  weather  in 
August,  sufficiently  accounts  for  that  exceptional 
season.  Exaggerated  and  fearful  stories  were  sent 
over  the  country,  that  season,  in  relation  to  the  sick- 
ness. A  correspondent  of  an  Eastern  paper  stated 
that  he  saw  in  a  cemetery  at  La  Salle,  300  graves 
that  had  never  been  rained  on,  and  that  in  a  new 
country  where  settlement  was  but  just  commenced. 
That  might  have  been  true,  but  the  cemetery 
belonged  to  the  Catholics,  and  was  the  only  one 
this  side  of  Chicago,  and  tliousands  of  men  were 
then  at  work  on  the  canal,  and  they  nearly  all 
came  to  La  Salle  for  burial ;  and  this  was  in  the 
late  fall  when  there  had  been  no  rain  for  nearly  six 
months.  When  the  land  around  a  residence  had 
become  thoroughly  cultivated,  the  inmates  ceased 


160  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

to  have  the  ao;ue,  the  tilled  soil  readily  absorbed  the 
rainfall,  and  no  doubt  the  deleterious  gases  of  the 
atmosphere  ;  but  whatever  the  cause,  the  annual 
sickness  so  annojdng  for  many  years  gradually 
disappeared  as  the  country  became  improved. 
Malarious  disease  has  nearly  ceased,  and  the  county 
is  one  of  the  most  healthful  locations  in  this  or  any 
other  country. 

Although  sickness  is  the  greatest  evil,  yet  there 
were  many  deprivations  and  annoyances  that  put 
the  endurance  of  the  most  patient  and  uncomplain- 
ing to  a  severe  test,  and  3'et  the  evil  was  many  times 
more  imaginary  than  real,  from  the  fact  that  a 
luxury  once  enjoyed,  in  imagination  becomes  a 
necessity  :  our  real  wants  are  few  and  easily  sup- 
plied, while  luxurious  habits  engender  tastes  and 
wants  the  world  can  hardly  supply. 

The  winter  of  1838  was  ver}'  cold,  and  having 
been  preceded  b}'  a  very  dr}'  summer,  and  conse- 
quently low  water,  the  supply  of  water  for  milling 
purposes  soon  became  exhausted,  and  as  there  was 
no  commercial  communication  with  the  outside 
world  but  by  the  river,  and  that  frozen  nearly 
solid,  the  suppl}'  of  Hour  and  meal  soon  became 
exhausted,  and  some  substitute  had  to  be  found. 
Boiled  w^heat,  hulled  corn,  hominy,  and  what  was 
called  pound  cake,  made  of  corn  pounded  in  a 
mortar,  were  all  used.  A  common  practice  was  to 
grind  corn  in  a  coffee  mill,  first  popping  or  burning 
the  corn  over  the  fire,  so  as  to  make  it  brittle  and 
more  easily  ground.  The  meal  thus  produced  was 
quite  palatable,   and  was  made  into  hoe  or  johnny 


Natimty  of  the  FirH  Settlers.  161 


cake,  or  used  in  some  otlier  primitive  style  which 
necessity  had  taught ;  many  had  submitted  to  such 
privations  when  first  here,  and  were  better  prepared 
to  snrmount  the  difRculty.  Nearly  all  the  people 
then  here  had  to  obtain  their  bread  in  that  way 
through  most  of  that  winter,  and  doubtless  have  a 
lively  recollection  of  turning  the  coffee  mill  morn- 
ing and  evening,  preparatory  to  satisfying  an  excel- 
lent appetite ;  and  although  the  over  nice  and 
fastidious  complained,  the  profane  used  some  hard 
words,  and  many  got  homesick,  it  is  probable  none 
sot  the  o-out  from  high  living  that  winter. 


NATIVITY  OF  THE  FIRST  SETTLERS. 

It  will  not  be  devoid  of  interest  to  briefly  notice 
the  localities  from  which  the  first  settlers  of  the 
different  towns  came  ;  the  communities  here  formed 
will  ever  look  with  a  filial  feeling  toward  the  birth- 
place of  their  fathers,  and  those  locations  will  ever 
feel  a  commendable  pride  in  the  prosperity  of  these 
offshoots  from  the  parent   stock. 

The  settlements  at  Ottawa  embraced  a  mixed 
class  ;  the  first  were  from  the  south  part  of  this 
State,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Virginia,  while  later,  New 
York  and  New  England  were  largely  represented. 
A  large  number  from  Clinton  County,  New  York, 
settled  in  South  Ottawa,  and  almost  every  portion 
of  the  country  had  representatives  there. 

Dayton,  and  Rutland,  and  a  portion  of  Manlius, 
were     settled     almost     exclusively     from    Licking 


162  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

County,  Ohio.  They  were  a  temperate,  moral 
people,  physically  strong  and  vigorous,  and  raised 
large  families,  and  the  mortality  among  them  has 
been  remarkably  small.  Licldng  County  may  well 
be  proud  of  her  colony,  who,  with  their  descend- 
ants, will  doubtless  long  cherish  the  memory  of 
the  land  of  their  fatliers. 

Serena  has  a  large  representation  from  near 
Plattsburg,  New  York  ;  while  Vermont,  Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut,  and  other  Eastern  States,  are 
well  represented,  and  later,  a  considerable  French 
colony  came  in. 

Earl,  and  v^icinity,  received  lier  tirst  settlers  mostly 
from  Boston,  while  others  from  the  banks  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  Vermont,  and  other  Eastern  localities, 
mated  well  with  those  from  the  hub. 

The  first  settlers  of  Northville,  and  Adams,  were 
mostly  from  !N"ew  York,  while  Vermont.  Ohio, 
Norway.  German3\  Ireland,  and  even  Russia,  were 
represented. 

The  pioneers  of  Freedom  were  largely  from  New 
York,  but  were  a  mixture  from  different  localities, 
both  South  and  East. 

Bruce,  and  Eagle,  on  the  Vermillion,  were  largely 
settled  from  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  with  a 
few  from  Ohio,   and  Virginia. 

Vermillion,  and  Deer  Park,  were  settled  b}^  per- 
sons from  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Eng- 
land,  with  a  few  from  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Virginia. 

The  first  in  Farm  Ridge,  were  from  Fayette 
County,  Pennsylvania,  but  most  of  the  early  set- 
tlers were  from  Connecticut. 


Natimty  of  iJie  First  Settlers.  163 


The  commercial  towns  usually  had  a  mixed  popu- 
lation, from  the  cities  and  commercial  points,  East 
and  West,  while  each  agricultural  neighborhood  was 
mostly  from  one  locality.  The  emigrants  from  Nor- 
way, who  are  located  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
county,  in  the  towns  of  Miller  and  Mission,  mostly, 
but  are  quite  numerous  in  Adams,  Northville, 
Serena,  and  other  towns,  embrace  a  large  population, 
and  for  several  years  retained  their  language  and 
usages,  and  formed  a  community  by  themselves; 
but  our  common  school  system,  compelling  the  use 
of  the  English  language,  is  a  leveler  of  caste  and 
race,  and  all  rapidly  become  homogeneous. 

The  first  emigration  from  Norway  to  the  United 
States  was  in  1825.  Cling  Pearson,  of  Hestham- 
mer,  in  Norway,  came  over  in  1822,  and  on  his  re- 
turn gave  a  glowing  picture  of  America,  and  finding 
the  people  of  Stavinger,  a  small  town  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, dissatisfied  with  their  minister,  appointed 
by  the  Government,  and  desirous  of  changing  their 
location,  he  persuaded  them  to  emigrate.  They 
purchased  a  small  vessel,  a  two-masted  fishing  sloop, 
for  $1,800,  and  fifty-two  emigrants  set  sail  in  their 
little  craft  for  the  Western  continent.  They  sailed 
through  the  North  Sea,  and  English  Channel,  to  Ma- 
deira, where  they  got  short  of  provisions,  picked  up 
a  pipe  of  wine,  which  they  enjoyed  hugely,  and  there 
laid  in  a  stock  of  provisions.  They  left  Norway 
July  4th,  reached  Funchal  August  ISth,  and  New 
York  the  last  day  of  October,  1825,  fifty-three  in 
number — an  increase  of  one. 

In  New  York  they  sold  the  vessel  for  $400,  and 


164  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


the  company  divided,  twenty-eight  going  witli  Cling 
Pearson,  wlio  got  a  free  passage  for  them  to  Orleans 
County,  New  York,  where  they  purchased  land,  and 
formed  a  settlement,  the  lirst  Norwegian  settlement 
in  America.  But  Cling  Pearson  was  a  restless  spirit ; 
he  again  rambled  west,  and  explored  Illinois,  and 
fixed  on  a  location  in  La  Salle  County.  Cling  stated 
that  when  exploring  the  country  afterward  occupied 
by  his  countrymen,  becoming  wearj^,  he  lay  down 
under  a  tree,  slept,  and  dreamed,  and  in  his  dream 
he  saw  the  wild  prairie  changed  to  a  cultivated  re- 
gion, teeming  with  all  kinds  of  grain  and  fruits, 
most  beautiful  to  behold  :  that  splendid  houses  and 
barns  stood  all  over  the  land,  occupied  by  a  rich, 
prosperous  and  happj-  people.  He  awoke  refreshed, 
and,  nerved  anew  by  his  dream,  went  back  to  his 
countrj-men  in  Xew  York,  and  persuaded  them  to 
emigrate  to  Illinois.  Cling' s  dream  may  have  been 
dreamed  awake,  but  it  has  been  fully  realized.  The 
early  days  of  the  Norwegian  settlement  were  days 
of  poverty  and  toil,  and  the}^  repeatedly  sutFered 
terribl}^  by  Asiatic  cholera  ;  but  the}^  have  sur- 
mounted their  trials,  and  are  now,  as  seen  in  Cling' s 
dream,  a  wealthy,  prosperous,  and  happy  people. 
Cling  Pearson  afterward  went  to  Texas,  and  died 
there. 

The  first  Norwegian  colon}'  from  New  York  came 
to  La  Salle  County  in  1834,  being  a  part  of  the  fifty- 
three  who  came  over  from  Norway  in  1825.  Since 
that,  others  have  followed  from  Norway,  and  the  first 
fifty-three  emigrants  have  welcomed  man}'  of  their 
old  neighbors  to  the  land  of   their   adoption.      It 


Diversity  of  Customs,  Promncialisms,  etc.     165 

seems,  that  like  the  Pilgrim  Fatliers,  religious  lib- 
erty was  the  prospective  boon  that  led  them  to  the 
Western  continent.  Many  of  them  still  adhere  to 
the  Lutheran,  the  national  church  of  Norway,  but 
many  are  Methodists,  and  the  Mormons  have  a 
church  among  them. 

Many  of  the  Irish  laborers  employed  on  the  canal 
while  in  progress,  remained  in  the  county.  Num- 
bers of  these,  and  others  who  came  from  the  favorable 
representation  of  their  friends  here,  have  settled  on 
farms  and  become  wealthy.  The  Gei'mans  came  later, 
and  though  but  few  of  them  were  reckoned  among 
the  early  settlers,  they  are  now  quite  numerous. 


DIVERSITY    OF    CUSTOMS,    PROVINCIAL- 
ISMS, ETC. 

In  looking  up  the  localities  from  which  the  first 
settlers  of  our  county  came,  it  is  interesting  to 
notice  how  many  are  represented.  Nearly  all  the 
States  of  the  Union,  and  from  some  of  the  States 
nearly  every  county  ;  and  among  the  more  recent 
emigrants,  nearl}^  every  nation  of  Europe — each 
furnish  their  quota.  Thus  a  great  diversity  of  habits, 
manners,  customs,  methods  of  cultivation,  utensils 
used,  religion,  amusements,  social  relations,  liabits 
of  thought  and  language,  are  brought  in  contact,  con- 
trasted and  compared.  It  might  well  be  expected 
that  each  ope  should  be  persistently  attached  to 
that  to  which  he  was  traditionally  accustomed,  and 
prone  to  sneer  at  the  (to  him)  unusual  practice  of 


166  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

liis  neighbor.  Under  such  circumstances  human 
nature  might  be  expected  to  be  clannish,  exclusive, 
and  hostile,  and  unfriend!}'  feelings  be  engendered  ; 
but  such  was  not  the  case  to  any  extent.  The  sparse 
population,  remoA^ed  from  the  comforts  and  conveni- 
ences to  which  thej  had  been  accustomed,  were  im- 
pressed with  a  feeling  of  mutual  dependence ;  and 
a  neighbor  was  truly  a  friend  and  neighbor, 
whether  he  came  from  the  Green  Mountains  of  Ver- 
mont, the  low  country  of  Virginia  or  Carolina,  or 
the  dark  and  bloody  ground  of  Kentucky  ;  and  the 
great  diversity  of  origin,  instead  of  being  an  evil, 
has  thus  far,  and  will  in  the  future,  be  a  most  de- 
cided benefit. 

A  more  successful  result  achieved  bj^  my  neigh- 
bor's method  will  not  be  lost  on  me.  Traditional 
systems,  though  fondl}'  cherished,  must  ever  yield 
to  a  practical  demonstration  of  greater  success  from 
■other  systems,  although  new  to  us ;  and  the 
metliods  of  procedure  found  most  successful  will 
in  the  end  be  adopted  by  all.  Having  so  large  a 
variety  of  customs  to  select  from,  embracing  the 
usao-es  of  all  the  States  of  the  Union  and  all  the 
nations  of  Europe,  the  result  must  be  the  adoption 
of  the  excellences  of  each,  the  rejection  of  the  less 
successful,  and  the  formation  of  the  most  perfect 
system  known  to  man. 

In  matters  of  field  culture,  of  gardening,  of  rural 
economy,  and  rural  taste,  social  customs  and  amuse- 
ments, this  is  equally  true.  The  log  cabin,  situated 
in  the  centre  of  a  two-acre  lot,  where  the  children, 
cattle,   hogs,    horses,    sheep,    and  poultry,    mingle 


Dlmrsity  of  Customs,  PromnciaUsms,  etc.     167 


promiscuously,  and  where  1;lie  mud  at  the  opening 
of  spring  is  of  a  very  uncertain  depth  up  to  the 
door-step,  will  be  improved  when  contrasted  with 
a  snug  though  rude  cabin  enclosed  by  a  rude  fence, 
where  the  cliildren  can  gambol  on  the  clean  lawn ; 
where  a  rose  unfolds  its  petals  in  the  June  sun,  a 
vine  is  trained  over  the  south  window,  and  where 
a  few  well-trained  shade  trees  break  the  force  of  the 
winter's  wind  and  cool  the  heated  rays  of  the  noon- 
day summer  sun. 

A  choice  fruit,  a  cluster  of  berries  or  grapes, 
given  a  neighbor,  is  followed  by  the  inquiry,  Where 
can  I  get  a  tree  or  vine?  How  do  you  cultivate 
them  I     Can  you  spare  some  cuttings  or  sprouts? 

The  denizen  of  a  cabin  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie, 
around  which  the  stock  roamed  at  pleasure,  without 
a  shrub,  fruit  tree,  or  bush  of  any  kind,  as  he  passed 
a  dwelling  where  some  home  sick  matron  had  decked 
her  little  yard  with  a  plat  of  annual  flowers,  and 
grown  some   favorite  rose,  the  root   of   which  she 
placed  in  the  box  of  goods  as  they  left  their  old 
home    a    thousand   miles   away,    would    exclaim  : 
"These  stuck-up  Yankees  spend  their  time   very 
foolishly  ;  how  much  money  will  they  get  for  all 
that  t ''     But  the  daughter  of  that  family,  with  the 
intuition    of    female   taste,    will    soon    look    with 
pleasure  at  this  little  effort  at  adornment,  and  will 
inquire  :    "  Can  I  get  a  slip  of  that  rose,  and  some 
seeds  of  those  asters  and  balsams  ? ' '     And  they  are 
given  with  the  generosity  of  pioneer  life,  intensified 
by  contact  with  the  whole-souled  hospitality  and 
kindness  of  the  Southern  character ;  and  thus  the 


168  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


customs   and  tastes  become  homogeneous,  and  all 
improve  b}^  contact  with  each  other. 

In  the  rural  districts  of  ever}^  country  the  language 
is  liable  to  become  corrupted  by  provincialisms, 
and  words  and  phrases  common  in  one  district  are 
not  known  in  another. 

As  our  educational  system  becomes  perfected,  and 
intercourse  between  different  sections  more  free, 
this  will  cease.  These  provincialisms  were  quite 
common  among  our  early  settlers,  each  class  or 
localit}'  furnishing  something  toward  the  general 
stock.  While  the  Yankee  "guessed."  the  Sucker 
"reckoned.'-  One  called  it  a  "homely  "  face  ;  the 
other,  an  "ugl}^'"  one.  In  answer  to  the  universal 
question,  one  said  he  was  "  quite  well ;"'  the  other, 
that  he  had  "  nothing  to  complain  of,"  or  that  he 
was  quite  pert,  the  last  word  pronounced  with  a 
long  e. 

The  early  settlers  at  the  West  made  their  own 
common  clothing,  and  any  purchased  was  called 
boughten,  or  "store  clothes;"  a  young  man  was 
supposed  to  be  on  special  business  when  he  had  on 
his  store  clothes.  An  extra  meal  got  up  for  com- 
pany was  called  "chicken  fixings,"  while  an  ordi- 
nary meal  was  "  common  doings." 

The  Yankee  finished  cultivating  his  corn,  while 
the  Western  man  "laid  it  by." 

Household  goods,  traveling  baggage,  or  other  per- 
sonal effects,  were  called  "truck,"  and  "plunder." 

"Tote  the  horse  to  water,"  and  "hang  him  up 
to  hay,"  was  a  common  order  to  the  boy  who  cared 
for  that  animal. 


Diversity  of  Customs,  Promncialisms,  etc.     169 


When  sitting  at  table,  the  host  wishing  to  be  both 
hospitable  and  polite,  would  say,  ^'Make  a  long 
arm,  stranger,"  that  is,  help  yourself  to  anything 
yon  can  reach. 

A  common  salutation  when  meeting  a  friend  in  a 
crowd  was,  "I  wish  I  had  struck  you  before,"  that 
is,  met  you. 

In  answer  to  the  usual  inquir}^  as  to  health,  a 
neighbor  answered,  "We  liave  nothing  to  complain 
ot;  except  that  brother  William  has  got  a  rock  in 
his  eye,  and  is  suffering  severely."  This,  to  a 
Yankee  fresh  from  New  England,  where  anything 
less  than  about  half  a  ton  weight  is  never  called  a 
rock,  gave  a  rather  ludicrous  impression  of  the  size 
of  brother  William's  eye. 

An  old  Kentuckian  telling  of  a  wedding  in  his 
neighborhood,  of  the  parties  to  which  he  had  not  a 
very  exalted  opinion,  expressed  that  opinion  in  his 
very  forcible  vernacular,  thus:  "He  is  an  ornary 
ciiss,  and  she  is  rather  slack-twisted." 

A  Southern  matron  was  inquired  of,  how  far  it 
was  out  to  the  public  road,  she  replied,  "It  is  a 
rifle  shot  and  a  horn-blow,"  that  is,  the  distance  a 
rifle  will  carry  a  ball,  added  to  the  distance  a  com- 
mon dinner-horn  can  be  heard. 

The  writer  was  traveling  on  horseback  about  the 
last  of  February  and  called  on  a  wealthy  Virginian 
to  get  entertainment  for  the  night.  The  double  log 
house  was  situated  near  the  middle  of  an  enclosure 
of  one  to  two  acres.  Winter  was  breaking,  and  the 
enclosure  was  occupied  by  a  large  stock  of  cattle, 
horses,    hogs,    sheep,  poultry,  etc.,   and  they   had 

12 


170  History  of  La  Salle  County, 

tramped  the  surface  to  the  consistency  of  mortar  to 
the  depth  of  from  eight  to  twelve  inches.  The  old 
gentleman  was  standing  in  the  door,  and  the  follow- 
ing conversation  took  place  : 

Said  I,  "  Can  I  get  to  stay:  all  night  V  a  common 
way  of  putting  the  question  then. 

He  said,  "I  reckon."  I  prepared  to  dismount, 
when  he  shouted,  "Hold  on,  stranger,  the  gal  will 
open  the  bars,  and  save  your  getting  in  the  mud." 
I  had  some  curiositj^  to  see  how  the  girl  was  to  get 
through  the  sea  of  mud  between  the  house  and 
the  bars  ;  but  she  proved  equal  to  the  emergency; 
she  quickl}^  doffed  her  foot  gear,  and  holding  her 
dress  well  up  came  promptly  through  the  mud 
with  her  bare  feet.  I  rode  to  the  door,  gave  the 
horse  to  the  girl  wlio  cared  for  him,  and  found 
inside,  hospitable  and  comfortable  accommoda- 
tions, notwithstanding  the  forbidding  appearance 
outside  ;  sleeping  in  the  same  room  with  the  host,  his  * 
wife,  and  several  grown-up  daughters — a  practice 
born  of  necessity,  and  not  considered  indelicate  at 
that  time. 

A  young  man  of  very  reputable  appearance,  and 
riding  a  fine  horse,  stopped  in  the  early  spring 
with  the  writer,  over  night ;  the  fi'ont  yard  con- 
tained some  flower  beds  just  planted,  and  some 
37-oung  shubbery  just  bursting  the  buds.  Before 
breakfast  I  found  the  stranger's  horse  in  the  front 
yard,  and  removed  him,  but  had  hardly  returned 
to  the  house  when  the  horse  was  again  among  the 
flower  beds,  and  I  had  just  removed  him  the  second 
time,  when  the  owner  came  in  in  a  huif,  saying  some 


Prairie  Grasses.  Ill 


one  was  interfering  with  his  horse  ;  he  had  turned 
him  in  the  yard  to  crop  the  fresh  grass,  (which  was 
more  forward  in  the  sheltered  yard  than  elsewhere, ) 
and  he  would  be  much  pleased  to  have  him  left 
alone.  I  explained  that  we  did  not  allow  horses 
in  the  front  yard,  when  he  apologized,  and  said  he 
was  entirely  unconscious  of  committing  any  impro- 
priety— that  where  he  lived,  the  door  yard  was  the 
place  where  they  kept  their  horses. 


PRAIRIE  GRASSES. 

The  wild  grass  of  the  prairies,  in  its  primitive  state, 
made  excellent  pasture  and  hay.  With  the  range 
the  early  settlers  had,  their  cattle  would  put  on 
more  flesh,  and  in  less  time,  than  on  any  other  pas- 
ture, either  wild  or  tame.  Having  their  choice  from 
the  boundless  sea  of  verdure  by  which  they  were 
surrounded,  they,  of  course,  selected  the  best  and 
most  nutritious  varieties.  The  sedge,  which  grew 
only  along  the  sloughs,  was  the  first  to  start  in  the 
spring,  and  was  then  eaten  with  avidity,  but  was 
entirely  neglected  when  the  grasses  proper  made 
their  appearance.  The  bent  or  "blue  joint,"  which 
grew  mostly  along  the  sides  of  the  sloughs,  or,  as 
the  settlers  expressed  it,  "between  the  dry  and  wet 
land,"  was  preferred  to  all  other  varieties,  particu- 
larly when  mixed  with  the  wild  pea  vine,  as  it  often 
was.  These  together  made  hay  of  superior  quality, 
which  stock  of  all  kinds  preferred  to  any  other, 
without   exception ;    and  its  yield   was  immense  ; 


172  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

but  as  tliis  was  selected  for  hay,  and  the  stock  fed 
constantly  on  it,  it  was  rapidly  exterminated,  so 
that  in  a  few  3- ears  that  portion  of  the  ground  where 
it  grew  became  almost  bare  of  vegetation,  after  which, 
the  upland  grass,  or  that  growing  on  the  dry  prairie, 
was  selected  for  both  hay  and  pasture,  that  is, 
within  the  range  of  the  stock ;  but  by  going  back 
on  the  unoccupied  prairie,  as  was  frequenth'  done, 
for  some  miles,  as  the  settlements  thickened,  the 
bent  and  pea  vine  were  found  in  rich  abundance. 
And  the  older  and  more  experienced  oxen,  and 
other  members  of  the  herd,  learned  to  seek  these 
rich  pastures,  so  far  out  that  days  were  sometimes 
spent  in  recovering  them. 

The  upland  grass,  wiiich  for  many  j^ears  formed 
the  staple  feed  for  stock,  was  a  very  good  article, 
but  immensely  inferior  to  the  choice  virgin  pastures 
which  greeted  the  herds  of  tlie  lirst  comers. 

On  all  the  prairie  pastures  neat  cattle  were  re- 
markably^ thrifty,  and  free  from  disease,  and  in 
some  respects  horses  were  peculiarly  so.  It  was  a 
singular  fact,  that  a  horse  reared  on  the  prairie 
never  had  the  heaves,  and  liorses  from  other  locali- 
ties, badlj^  afflicted  with  tliat  complaint,  on  being- 
turned  on  the  prairie  pasture,  or  fed  with  prairie 
hay  for  a  few  weeks,  were  invariably  fully  cured. 
It  was  attributed  to  the  medicinal  qualities  of  the 
resin  weed,  of  which  there  were  numerous  varieties, 
and  of  which  horses  were  xQiy  fond.  Some  ascribed 
it  to  the  climate  ;  but  this  idea  is  refuted,  by  the 
fact  that  since  horses  are  fed  on  timothv  hav,  the 
heaves  are  quite  common.     Horses  feeding  on  the 


Hard  Times.  173 


prairie  never  slobbered  ;  but  this  difficulty  is  now 
known  to  be  caused  by  clover  seed.     As  soon  as  the 
white  clover  heads  turn  brown,  the  slobbering  com- 
mences.    Seed  of  the  red  clover  has  the  same  effect. 
Horses  fed  upon  prairie  hay,  and  even  on  the  pas- 
ture, were  peculiarly  subject  to  a  disease,  often  fatal 
in  a  short  time,  called  colic,  which  is  much  less  fre- 
quent since  the  introduction  of  the  tame  grasses. 
Early  mowing  and  close  feeding  rapidly  extermi- 
nated the  wild  grass  of  the  prairie,  which,  like  the 
buffalo  and  the  Indian,  seemed  destined  to  fade  out 
before  the  steady  advance  of  civilization.     The  set- 
tlers did  everything  in  their  power  to  effect  this,  by 
late  burns  and  close  grazing,  thereby  removing  the 
fuel  that  sustained  the  annual  hres,  so  much  dreaded. 
If  a  tract  of  prairie  had  been  enclosed,  so  as  to  entirely 
exclude  all  kinds  of  stock,  and  the  grass  cut  for  hay 
as  late  as  the  middle  of  August,  each  year,  it  could 
have  been  preserved  indeiinitely,  and  would  have 
b(5en  a  curiosity  to  future  generations— as  the  pro- 
fusion of  native  flowers,   so  much  admired  by  all 
who  ever  saw  them,  would  have  been  preserved  with 
the  grasses. 

HARD   TIMES. 

The  financial  crash  of  1837  came  at  a  very  inop- 
portune moment,  and  much  to  the  discomfort  of  our 
people.  One  of  those  periodical  seasons  of  expan- 
sion, followed  by  corresponding  contraction,  a 
period  of  financial  heat,  followed  by  a  financial  ague 
of  equal  severity,  which  has  been  the  bane  of  our 


174  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

pi'osperit}",  and  which  no  financial  skill  or  states- 
manship has  been  able  to  foresee  or  prevent,  was 
then  in  fnll  blast. 

When  the  Government  ofiered  the  lands  in  the 
centre  of  the  county  for  sale,  in  1835,  the  settlers 
took  but  a  small  proportion,  and  the  balance  was 
taken  by  speculators,  and  at  once  held  at  from  five 
to  ten  dollars  per  acre,  and  in  some  central  localities 
at  many  times  that.  Although  prices  were  high, 
anticipated  prices  were  still  higher  ;  every  one  ex- 
pected a  fortune,  or  supposed  themselves  already 
rich.  Corner  lots,  claims,  pre-emptions,  and  floats, 
were  in  everybody' s  mouth.  A  lodger  at  any  of  the 
rickety  hotels  at  that  day,  would  have  to  sleep  in  a 
room  containing  four  or  five  beds,  and  from  the  bar- 
gains and  contracts  made  by  the  lodgers  before  goins: 
to  sleep,  might  well  imagine  himself  on  'Change,  or  in 
Wall  street,  in  Xew  York,  and  his  companions  all 
millionaires.  The  writer  called  at  a  log  cabin  toward 
evening  of  a  rainy  day,  where  some  half  dozen  far- 
mers were  assembled,  who  had  evidently  engaged 
in  high  speculation  during  the  day.  One  of  the 
number,  addressing  himself  to  me,  said,  as  he  slapped 
his  hand  very  complacently  on  his  thigh,  '•!  have 
made  ten  thousand  dollars  to-day,  and  I  will  make 
twice  that  to-morrow  ;''  and  I  learned  from  further 
conversation  with  his  companions,  that  he  had  been 
the  least  successful  one  in  the  company.  Towns 
and  villages  were  laid  out  at  almost  ever}^  cross- 
road, and  some  where  there  had  never  been  any 
road,  I  set  out  some  small  apple  trees  on  my  farm, 
the  only  ones  to  be  procured,  and  stuck  a  stake  hj 


Hard  Times.  175 


each  ;  a  stranger  coming  past,  inquired  the  name  of 
the  town  I  had  laid  ont. 

These  lots  were  put  npon  the  market,  and  sold  at 
auction,  or  exchanged  for  other  lots  or  lands.  Many 
were  sent  East,  and  sold  at  good  prices,  the  pur- 
chaser in  many  instances  never  inquiring  after  his 
purchase,  as  the  bursting  of  the  bubble  soon  in- 
formed him  how  badly  he  was  sold.  An  auctioneer 
in  Chicago,  was  crying  a  lot  in  a  town  somewhere 
on  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  said  it  was  a 
water  lot ;  a  bystander  replied,  "you  are  right,  for  I 
was  over  it  in  a  canoe,  and  I  could  not  reach  it  with 
a  ten  foot  pole  ; "  but  the  lot  sold  for  a  round  price. 
Up  to  183Y  the  country  had  never  produced  enough 
for  home  consumption,  and  prices  were  governed  by 
a  market,  where  the  demand  exceeded  the  supply, 
also  enhanced  by  the  wild  speculation  of  tJie  day  ; 
but  the  harvest  of  1837  exceeded  the  demand,  and 
produce  was  worth  only  its  value  to  send  to  an  East- 
ern or  Southern  market. 

At  the  same  time  the  crash  of  1837  came,  and 
soon  after  emigration  almost  entirely  ceased.  Work 
on  the  canal,  which  had  then  been  in  progress  about 
two  years,  was  nearly  suspended,  only  being  con- 
tinued in- a  sickly  condition,  mostly  by  issuing  scrip, 
which  soon  depreciated  to  eighteen  to  twenty  cents 
on  the  dollar,  and  in  1839  work  was  entirely  sus- 
pended. AVheat  went  down  from  two  dollars  to  fifty 
cents,  and  no  cash  at  that ;  pork,  from  twenty-live 
dollars  per  barrel  to  one  dollar  per  hundred  ;  corn, 
to  ten  cents,  with  store  pay  at  one  hundred  per  cent, 
profit.     Hides,  tallow,    deer  skins,    and  furs,   were 


176  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

the  only  articles  that  would  bring  cash.  The  utter 
breaking  down  of  all  business  relations,  the  disap- 
pearance of  a  circulating  medium,  and  impossibility 
of  selling  produce  for  cash,  necessitated  an  economy 
which  few  elsewhere  have  practiced,  and  which  those 
accustomed  to  the  lavish  practices  and  expenditures 
of  the  present  day,  will  scarcely  believe. 

There  was  no  danger  of  starving ;  there  was 
plenty  of  breadstuff,  beef,  pork,  venison,  prairie 
chickens,  and  any  vegetables  the}^  chose  to  raise. 
Of  fruit  there  was  noue,  except  wild  plums,  goose- 
berries and  crab  apples,  which  would  now  be  con- 
sidered a  poor  substitute.  Groceries  could  be 
procured  by  barter  ;  but  it  took  a  load  of  grain  to 
buy  a  little,  and  these  were  used  very  sparingly. 
Some  boys  now  spend  more  for  cigars  in  a  day, 
than  our  best  farmers  would  then  handle  in  a 
month  ;  and  letters  from  Eastern  friends  would  lie 
for  days  in  the  post  office,  for  the  reason  that  monej^ 
could  not  be  procured  to  pay  the  postage,  then 
twenty -five  cents  on  each  letter. 

Of  clothing  but  little  was  purchased.  It  was  a 
comm.on  and  trite  sajdng,  that  we  came  to  Illinois 
to  wear  out  our  old  clothes,  which  was  done  most 
effectually.  A  cheap  garment  then  worn  was 
made  of  a  coarse  material  called  ?tard  times,  com- 
posed of  cotton  and  the  coarsest  wool,  made  like  a 
frock,  gathered  at  the  neck,  hanging  loose  to  the 
hipr^,  held  by  a  belt  at  the  waist,  with  loose  sleeves. 
It  was  warm  and  comfortable,  and,  made  at  home, 
cost  about  $1.50,  It  was  worn  at  all  times— at 
church,  to  town,  or  to  Chicago. 


Hard  Times.  177 


Hauling  produce  to  Cliicago  became  a  common 
practice,  to  raise  a  little  money  to  pay  postage  and 
taxes.  The  only  expense  paid  on  a  trip  to  Chicago 
was  the  ferriage  over  the  Illinois  river,  and  that 
was  saved  by  those  living  north  of  it.  The  team 
lived  on  the  prairie  grass  and  a  little  grain  carried 
from  home,  and  the  driver  carried  his  provisions, 
and  slept  in  or  under  his  wagon.  They  carried  a 
coffee-pot,  encamped  near  some  creek,  made  a  lire, 
and  lived  independent.  They  would  manage  to 
encamp  on  the  prairie  near  Chicago,  go  in  in  the 
morning  and  out  before  evening,  never  paying  any 
tavern  bills  in  Chicago.  Wheat  thus  hauled  sold 
as  low  as  thirty-five  cents  per  bushel,  and  it  would 
take  five  days  to  a  load.  With  wheat  given  and 
going  thus  cheap,  a  man  would  not  earn  day 
wages.  Of  course  no  one  expected  to  make  money  ; 
to  live  was  the  only  question,  and  hope  for  the 
future  the  only  ambition. 

Such  improvements  as  could  be  made  without 
uione.y  and  by  labor  only,  were  prosecuted  by  the 
settlers  in  the  time  they  could  eke  out  from  the  toil 
that  dire  necessity  imposed  ;  and  many  a  farm  was 
fenced,  yards  and  stables  made,  and  prairie  broken, 
during  these  j^ears  of  depression,  relying  upon  a 
change  to  come,  when  the  produce  of  the  farms  thus 
improved  should  pay  for  their  toil,  and  those  who 
thus  improved  found  those  years,  in  the  end,  as 
profitable  as  any  in  their  pioneer  history. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  peox)le  living  thus  de- 
prived of  the  luxuries  of  civilization  are  liable  to 
degenerate  into  barbarism.     If  the  church  and  the 


178  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

school  house  are  to  be  inclnded  in  these  luxuries, 
the  remark  maybe  true  ;  but  the  education  and  in- 
telligence which  the  pioneer  settlers  brought  with 
them,  and  which  emploj^ed  their  first  and  best 
efforts  here  to  transmit  to  their  children,  has  in  its 
results  sufficiently  refuted  that  opinion. 

It  has  long  been  a  mooted  question  whether  it  is 
possible  to  possess  the  intelligence,  refinement,  and 
polish  of  good  society,  divested  of  the  luxury  tliat 
enervates,  and  the  slavish  deference  to  the  demands 
of  fashion,  which  impoverishes  and  corrupts.  There 
would  seem  to  be  no  necessary  connection  between 
the  dissemination  of  knowledge,  and  improvement 
of  the  esthetic  nature  of  man,  and  the  gormandizing 
of  the  glutton  and  drunkard,  the  painted  face  of 
the  savage,  the  turkey  quills  in  his  hair,  the  bauble 
hanging  to  his  ears  or  nose,  or  the  equally  absurd 
folly  of  dragging  a  trailing  skirt  through  the  filthy 
street,  hampering  and  defiling  the  feet  and  ankles, 
and  wickedl.y  wasting  means  needed  for  other  and 
better  objects. 

The  apparent  hallucination  whicli  leads  otherwise^ 
sensible  people,  in  violation  of  every  principle  of 
decency  or  common  sense,  to  pander  to  a  senseless 
custom,  and  destroy  health  and  usefulness,  simpl}- 
to  obey  the  foolish  behests  of  fashion,  is  one  of  the 
darkest  blots  on  human  character.  Those  who  were 
actors  in  these  scenes  when  stern  necessity  forced 
fashion  and  all  its  follies  into  the  background,  have 
learned  a  lesson  the  world  would  do  Avell  to  heed — 
they  were  none  the  less  happy  or  intelligent  ;  in 
fact,  all  the  kindlier  feelings  of  human  nature  came 


Hard  Times.  l^^ 


to  the  front— tliere  was  more  sympathy  for  the  suf- 
fering, more  regard  for  the  feelings  of  others.  There 
was  more  genuine  benevolence  and  hospitality  than 
ever  existed  in  a  community  where  the  wealthy 
aspire  to  aristocratic  distinction,  and  fashion  draws 
the  cruel  line  between  those  who  can,  and  those  who 
can  not,  follow  her  senseless  behests.  Many  of  those 
whose  experience  tells  them  the  contrast  between 
now  and  then,  never  tire  of  declaiming  against  the 
degeneracy  of  the  times,  and  of  extoling  the  good 
days,  past,  they  fear,  never  to  return. 

Wealth  is  a  blessing,  when  properly  used.  The 
culture  of  art  and  a  refined  taste  can  not  go  on  without 
wealth  ;  it  is  not  the  proper  use  of  it  that  is  com- 
plained of,  it  is  its  abuse.  There  has  never  been 
but  a  moiety  of  earned  wealth  properly  used  ;  expen- 
sive folly  and  dissipation  have  consumed  nearly  all. 
This  will  doubtless  be  so  till  the  world  is  purer  and 
wiser  than  now.  But  if  a  few  can  see  its  folly,  and 
will  oppose  the  overwhelming  tide  that  sweeps  on 
its  resistless  course,  it  may  be  a  beginning,  that,  like 
■  all  other  reforms,  contemned  and  despised  at  first, 
will,  in  the  end,  by  slow  and  persistent  effort,  form 
a  resistless  barrier  to  the  evil  they  essayed  to  stop. 

When  we  look  upon  the  early  pioneers,  separated 
from  the  home  of  their  youth,  enduring  the  usual 
hardships  and  privationli)f  a  new  country,  the  in- 
evitable sickness  following  in  its  train,  complicated 
by  the  financial  embarrassments  which  compelled  a 
relinquishment  of  the  fashionable  luxuries  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed,  we  can  but  admire  the 
patient  endurance  and  the  versatility  of  character 


180  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

which  enabled  them  to  adapt  themselves  to  such 
altered  circumstances,  and  to  build  up  a  State  which 
has  no  superior,  in  the  face  of  obstacles  that  would 
seem  insui-mountable.  The  question  arises,  would 
this  have  been  accomplished  if  luxurious  habits  had 
wasted  the  avails  of  the  settler's  toil  instead  of  con- 
verting liis  labor  into  lasting  improvements,  as  was 
done  't 

Determined  perseverance  will  surmount  almost 
any  obstacle,  but  without  economy  it  will  avail  but 
little  in  building  up  a  country.  "Many  an  estate 
is  spent  in  the  getting."  The  same  perseverance, 
industry  and  economy  which  was  practiced  by  the 
early  settlers,  and  which  built  up  the  country  with 
a  rapidity  unknown  to  other  times,  if  pra(;ticed 
under  more  favorable  circumstances  would  result  in 
proportionably  greater  benefits.  Better  health, 
longer  life,  sure  independence,  social  happiness, 
ailiuence  to  the  individual  and  to  the  State,  with 
all  the  blessings  that  cluster  around  life,  would  be 
the  result. 

These  blessings  are  now  nearly  all  sacrificed  to 
the  Moloch  of  appetite,  pride  and  fashion. 

A  community  obeying  hygienic  laws  ;  temperate 
in  all  things  ;  practicing  patient  industry  and  rigid 
economy  ;  taking  common  sense,  comfort  and  health 
for  a  guide  in  dress  and  equipage ;  cultivating  the 
mind  and  all  the  elements  of  esthetic  taste  ;  would 
as  a  community  be  a  prodigy  such  as  the  world 
never  saw,  but  which,  in  the  good  time  coming,  may 
be  hoped  for. 


BmharrassTiient  of  the  state.  Jbil 


EMBARRASSMENT  OF  THE  STATE. 

A  State  seldom  proves  to  be  wiser  than  its  people. 
As  a  stream  never  rises  higher  than  its  source,  so  a 
State  in  its  sovereign  capacity  is  but  the  exponent 
of  the  will  and  opinions  of  those  who  make  its 
laws. 

The  wild  spirit  of  speculation  which,  pervaded  the 
citizens  of  Illinois  in  1835,  1836  and  1837,  was 
equally  develoj)ed  in  the  counsels  of  the  State. 

In  1830  the  Internal  Improvement  Act  was  passed, 
incorporating  the  Central  Railroad  and  a  network 
of  railroads  covering  most  of  the  State  ;  counties  not 
sharing  in  the  improvements,  or  not  being  on  the 
line  of  any  railroad,  were  bril^ed  into  acquiescence  in 
the  scheme  by  grants  of  money  directly.  The  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  Canal  was  at  the  same  time  being- 
constructed  under  State  authority.  To  meet  all 
this  expenditure  of  untold  millions,  tlie  State  de- 
pended upon  loans  entirely. 

Cities,  counties  and  towns  followed  in  the  wake 
of  the  State,  and  loaned  money  to  biuld  court 
houses,  jails,  etc.,  to  an  amount  that  seems  per- 
perfectly  astounding.  It  now  appears  as  if  all 
the  world  was  insane  at  that  time,  but  no  one  knew 
it  then.  The  construction  of  the  canal  and  the  Central 
Railroad,  employing  hundreds  of  laborers  within 
the  county,  carrsed  the  disbursement  of  a  large 
amount  of  money.  Prices  were  high,  and  specula- 
tion wild. 

After  spending  about  twenty  millions  of  dollars, 
the  collapse  came.     Not  a  single   work   was   com- 


182  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

pleted  ;  not  one  yielded  a  dollar  to  the  coffers  of 
tlie  State.  There  was  no  money  in  the  treasury, 
and  very  little  taxes  were  collected  ;  there  was  no 
currency ;  farm  produce  could  not  be  sold  for 
money,  and  consequently  the  people  could  not  pay 
taxes  or  debts,  and  stay  laws  were  passed.  The 
fountain  was  dried  up  at  its  source,  and  all  business 
entirely  at  a  stand-still.  The  State  paid  no  interest 
on  her  indebtedness.  Auditors'  warrants  were 
issued  for  current  expenses,  but  were  worth  onl}^  a 
small  per  centage  of  their  face.  Repudiation  was 
openly  advocated  and  practically  adopted.  The 
State  was  a  byword,  and  all  right-thinking  men 
blushed  at  her  dishonor.  Emigrants  avoided  her 
borders  as  thej^  would  a  pestilence,  and  many  of 
those  who  had  the  means  left  the  State. 

The  combination  of  causes  which  reduced  the 
settlers  to  the  necessity  of  living  upon  their  own 
resources,  and  nearl}^  shut  them  from  the  outside 
world,  restricted  them  to  the  original  settlements 
near  or  in  the  timber,  and  to  the  old  system  of  farm- 
ing, building,  and  fencing.  It  was  soon  seen  that 
the  supply  of  timber  was  entirely  inadequate  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  growing  settlements^  and 
that  it  would  be  entirely  impracticable  to  occupy 
all  the  prairie.  The  idea  of  importing  lumber  from 
the  pineries  of  Michigan  was  not  entertained  for 
several  reasons.  It  could  not  be  transported,  thei'e 
was  no  money  to  buy  it,  and  in  the  absence  of  a 
market  there  was  little  manufactured. 

The  desirable  timber  here  was  all  taken  up  and 
held  at  high  prices,  with  a  prospect  that  still  higher 


Embarrassment  of  the  State.  183 


prices  would  be  reached.  Every  possible  device 
was  adopted  to  economize  in  the  use  of  timber,  and 
the  varieties  of  fence  invented  would  fill  a  curiosity 
shop  of  no  small  dimensions.  A  curious  individ- 
ual counted  the  different  varieties  of  fence  seen  in 
passing  through  the  country.  They  amounted  to 
■nearly  fifty,  most  of  them  failing  in  efficiency  as 
the  consumption  of  timber  decreased. 

The  want  of  timber,  the  low  price  of  all  kinds  of 
produce,  the  bankruptcy  of  the  State  driving  all 
emigration  around  it,  utterly  prevented  the  exten- 
sion of  the  settlements,  or  an}^  demand  for  real 
estate. 

The  township  school  lands  were  unavailable,  or 
sacrificed  at  a  small  percentage  of  the  amount 
afterwards  realized  on  those  retained,  consequently 
the  residents  had  to  support  their  schools  from  their 
private  purse,  or  do  without  them.  On  every  hand 
the  prospect  was  discouraging.  The  high  anticipa- 
tions indulged  in  when  speculation  was  at  fever  heat 
aggravated  and  increased  the  despondency.  Among 
the  causes  that  intensified  this  state  of  things,  was 
the  want  of  a  currency.  After  the  failure  of  the 
two  State  banks  in  1842,  there  was  no  reliable  circu- 
lating medium.  While  the  few  articles  of  export 
that  would  bring  cash,  such  as  furs,  peltries,  tal- 
low, and  the  pork  and  wheat  hauled  by  wagon  to 
Chicago,  or  shipped  to  St.  Louis,  were  sold  at  a 
price  that  would  appear  ridiculous  now,  payment 
was  invariably  made  in  a  depreciated  currency. 
The  Eastern  purchaser  coming  to  Chicago  with  par 
funds  to  invest  in  Western  produce,  found  a  money- 


184  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


changer  there  ready  to  give  him  two  to  five  percent, 
premium  for  his  Eastern  currency,  wliile  the  depre- 
ciated stuff  was  just  as  current  among  the  poor 
Suckers  :  in  fact,  they  never  saw  any  other.  One 
Smith,  a  Scotchman,  had  a  bank  of  issue  nominally 
in  Milwaukee,  called  the  Wisconsin  Fire  and  Marine 
Insurance  Company.  He  had  an  office  in  Chicago 
where  he  gave  his  bills  for  Eastern  funds,  paying  a 
premium  of  one  to  two  per  cent.,  and  for  a  time 
this  was  the  only  money  in  circulation.  If  the 
holder  Avauted  to  remit  East,  (and  all  the  currency 
received  had  to  go  East  through  the  merchants, 
money  loaners,  or  some  one  else),  the  money  had  to 
go  to  Chicago,  and  Smith  would  give  Eastern  funds 
for  it  at  two  to  three  per  cent,  discount  on  his  own 
pajier,  thus  making  from  one  to  two  per  cent,  on 
nearly  all  the  money  that  passed  Chicago.  There 
were  times  when  the  exchange  on  Eastern  or  par 
funds  was  as  high  as  five  to  ten  per  cent.  It  is  but 
justice  to  the  Scotchman  Smith,  to  ^^y.  that  while 
he  did  a  wholesale  shaving  business,  he  redeemed 
all  his  issues  and  closed  up  his  bank  honorably,  and 
w^ent  back  to  Scotland  with  a  large  fortune,  made 
in  his  little  shaving  office  in  Chicago  ;  while  the 
other  -'Wild  Cat  '*  and  '*  Red  Dog,"  as  it  was  called, 
from  Missouri.  Indiana  and  Michigan,  after  circulat- 
ing for  months  at  a  heavy  discount,  failed  entirely — 
and  many  of  the  old  settlers  have  bundles  of  it 
stored  away  in  some  corner  of  an  old  chest,  but 
badly  faded,  as  its  makers  did  not  even  furnish 
decent  paper  and  ink  in  its  manufacture. 

The  experience  of   the  Illinois  settlements,  from 


Embarrassment  of  the  State.  185 

1838-39  to  1845-48,  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  history 
of  every  community  that  overtrades  and  lives  beyond 
its  income.  Wild  and  reckless  speculation  never 
creates  wealth,  but  wastes  it,  and  a  period  of  waste- 
ful extravagance  must  be  followed  by  the  practice 
of  rigid  economy,  patient  industry  and  self-denial, 
or  descent  to  groveling  poverty.  Full  recovery, 
like  phj^sical  recuperation  after  a  debauch,  necessi- 
tates the  inevitable  penance  which  alone  can  restore 
the  wasted  energies. 

Although  the  settler  had  from  the  first  advent 
here,  from  necessity,  practiced  the  most  patient  and 
persistent  labor,  and  lived  plainly  and  economically 
as  all  settlers  in  a  new  country  must,  yet  the  Avorld 
was  on  a  wild  crusade  of  speculation  and  financial 
extravagance,  and  all  had  to  suffer  in  common. 
Still  the  settlers  and  the  country  individually 
weathered  the  storm,  and  there  were  few  cases  of 
bankruptcy  among  the  pioneer  farmers,  while  most 
others  yielded  to  the  financial  tornado. 

The  production  of  permanent  or  lasting  improve- 
ments, or  acquisition  of  currency  or  credits,  which 
can  be  exchanged  for  or  converted  into  such  im- 
provements or  other  valuable  possessions  held  and 
retained  for  future  use,  is  the  acquisition  of  wealth. 
But  the  acquisition  of  useless  luxuries,  or  of  wealth 
to  be  converted  into  such  luxuries,  is  not  wealth 
acquired,  A  whole  community  may  work  indus- 
triously, the  sound  of  the  loom  and  spindle  may  be 
vocal  through  the  land,  and  an  immense  amount 
of  nominal  wealth  be  produced ;  but  if  those  pro- 
ductions are  all  useless  or  injurious  luxuries  that  do 
13  -^ 


186  History  of  La  Salle  County . 

not  add  to  the  sum  of  human  happiness,  or  are 
expended  for  such  when  they  have  been  earned 
and  used,  the  commuuitj  is  no  riclier  than  before, 
but  a  portion  of  time  and  labor  which  might  have 
produced  something  permanently"  useful  has  been 
lost. 

It  always  takes  the  greater  portion  of  the  earnings 
of  any  people  to  support  them,  or  give  them  a  living, 
and  only  as  those  earnings  are  in  excess  of  that 
expense  or  support,  are  that  people  acquiring  wealth, 
and  all  of  those  earnings  expended  for  articles  not 
necessar}^  for  comfort  are  literally  wasted. 

This  principle  applied  to  the  circumstances  of  our 
early  settlers  from  1836  to  1844,  will  prove  conclu- 
sively that  they  were  really  accumulating  wealth, 
faster  than  at  any  succeeding  time.  They  were 
placed  in  circumstances  where  as  they  had  really  no 
income  to  be  converted  into  money  and  expended  for 
luxuries  which  their  pride  and  vanity  would  induce 
them  to  indulge  in,  they  were  forced  to  forego  that 
indulgence,  and  as  they  were  really  none  the  less 
happy,  they  suffered  no  loss  in  consequence.  But 
their  time  and  energies  were  applied  in  making  per- 
manent improvements,  breaking  the  prairie,  fencing, 
building  bridges  and  roads,  rearing  orchards,  fruit 
trees  and  shrubs,  and  by  all  this  making  the  farms 
more  valuable  ;  and  as  these  could  not  be  expended, 
it  was  all  wealth  acquired  and  stored  up  for  future 
use  ;  here  is  the  true  secret  of  the  unparalleled  growth 
of  our  State.  If  the  labor  of  the  settlers  had  all 
been  directed  to  hunting  deer,  and  trapping  muskrat, 
and  all  the  pelts  sold  for  silks  and  laces  and  other 


Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  187 


flnery,  and  that  worn  out,  the  State  would  have  been 
no  richer  to-day  than  when  the  Indian  followed  that 
same  business,  and  expended  his  earnings  for 
whisky,  beads,  and  other  baubles.  The  hard- 
working, economical  German  will  pay  for  an  eighty- 
acre  farm  in  a  few  years,  when  other  men  will  only 
pa}'  expenses ;  although  the  G-erman  produces  no 
more  than  the  other,  yet  he  saves  it,  while  the  other 
spends  it.  As  with  individuals,  so  with  nations — if 
the  income  of  either  exceed  the  expenses  all  counted, 
then  wealth  is  being  accumulated  ;  but  if  the  outgo 
is  more  tlian  the  income,  then  no  amount  of  fine 
spun  theories,  casuistrj^  or  sophistry  can  prevent 
poverty  being  the  result. 


ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN  CANAL. 

The  Lake  system  of  the  southeastern  slope  of  the 
North  American  continent  is  so  commanding  a  fea- 
ture in  the  topography  of  the  country,  and  so  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  river  systems,  and  artifi- 
cial or  canal  navigation,  that  it  needs  to  be  well 
understood,  to  properly  comprehend  and  appreciate 
the  latter. 

This  immense  chain  of  lakes  or  inland  seas, 
with  basins  a  thousand  feet  in  depth,  filled  with 
water,  pure  and  sparkling  as  crystal,  rests  like  a 
circlet  of  diamonds  on  the  brow  of  the  continent. 

All  the  world  elsewhere  go  down  to  the  sea,  but 
we  go  up,  as  if  nature,  proud  of  her  handiwork, 
had  placed  it  on  the  highest  elevation  for  the  admi- 


188  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

ration  of  the  world,  and  that  their  sweet  and  pellu- 
cid waters,  percolating  through  all  the  hidden  crev- 
ices of  geologic  secrec}",  might  be  ever  ready  to 
slake  the  thirst  of  a  continent.  Lake  Superior  is 
630  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Lake  Michio-an  is  578 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  about  100  feet  above  the 
canal  basin  at  La  Salle.  Thus  the  lakes  hang  as  it 
were  in  a  setting  above  us,  and  Avith  the  excep- 
tion of  the  slight  elevation  enclosins:  Lake  Michi- 
gan,  our  State  lies  lower  than  that  lake,  with  its 
water  shed  inclining  away  from  it.  The  geological 
rock  strata  ascend  and  crop  out  going  north,  and 
consequently  the  lake,  waters  rest  upon  the  edge  of 
all  the  strata,  penetrate  the  porous  portion,  and 
become  the  source  of  our  artesian  fountains. 

From  their  commanding  position,  the  lakes  send 
their  waters  by  different  routes  to  the  sea.  Once 
they  found  their  principal  outlet  by  the  valley  of 
the  Illinois,  and  a  stream  of  gigantic  dimensions 
then  passed  through  what  is  now  our  county ; 
but  at  a  time  long  past,  (how  long  we  can  only  judge 
by  appearances),  the  lakes  were  depressed,  and  the 
low  and  marshy  plains  around  the  south  end  of 
Lake  Michigan  Avere  left  bare,  and  the  waters 
sought  the  sea  by  leaping  the  falls  of  Niagara, 
threading  the  passes  among  the  islands  and  rapids 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  were  greeted  by  the  boreal 
blasts  and  icebergs  from  Greenland  and  Labrador, 
instead  of  the  soft  and  spice-laden  breezes  of  the 
Gulf. 

The  idea  of  a  canal  or  water  communication  from 
the  lakes  to  the  Mississippi  by  the  way  of  the  Illi- 


IlUiiois  and,  Michigan  Canal.  189 


nois  river,  presented  itself  to  the  first  explorers  of 
the  country  ;  in  fact,  the  former  existence  of  such  a 
connection  was  evident. 

Col.  Long,  after  making  a  topographical  survey 
of  the  country  in  1817,  says,  "The  project  of  con- 
structing such  a  canal  where  nature  has  nearly 
formed  it,  must  necessarily  force  its  consideration 
upon  the  Government,''  and  such  seems  to  have 
been  the  result. 

In  1814,  President  Madison  called  the  attention 
of  Congress  to  the  importance  of  this  national 
work,  the  "Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal/'  It  was 
recommended  b}^  Gov.  Bond,  tlie  first  governor, 
in  his  first  message  to  the  first  Illinois  Legislature,  in 
1819.  In  1821,  the  Legislature  appropriated  $10,000 
for  surveying  the  route.  Its  cost  was  estimated  at 
$600,000  to  $700,000;  it  finally  cost  $8,000,000.  In 
1825,  a  law  was  passed  incorporating  the  Canal  Com- 
pany, but  no  stock  was  taken.  In  1826,  Congress 
donated  300,000  acres  of  land,  or  every  alternate 
section  within  five  miles  of  the  canal,  to  aid  in  its 
construction. 

In  1828,  a  law  was  enacted  providing  for  con- 
structing the  canal  under  State  authority,  commis- 
sioners appointed,  and  a  new  survey  and  new  esti- 
mates made. 

But  work  was  not  commenced  till  1836  ;  ground 
was  first  broken,  with  great  ceremony,  at  Chicago  on 
the  fourth  of  July  of  that  year.  Work  immedi- 
ately commenced  in  earnest,  and  several  thousand 
laborers  were  employed  ;  loans  were  obtained  from 
foreign  capitalists,  and  State  bonds  issued  therefor. 


190  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

The  work  was  successfully  prosecuted  for  two  or 
three  j'ears,  when  the  money  loaned  becoming  ex- 
hausted, and  the  financial  crash  of  1837  intervening, 
dried  up  all  sources  from  which  money  might  be 
expected  to  come.  The  State  was  unable  to  borrow, 
and  consequently  unable  to  pay  her  contractors. 
Several  issues  of  scrip  were  made,  and  the  work 
temporarily  sustained,  but  the  scrip  rapidl}'  depre- 
ciated, some  as  low  as  fifteen  or  twenty  cents  on  the 
dollar,  and  would  have  been  worthless,  but  that  it 
was  received  in  payment  for  canal  land  sold  b}^  the 
State  ;  the  work  was  finally  entirely  suspended. 
The  scrip  was  redeemed  and  the  contractors  paid, 
but  it  was  several  years  after,  and  many  failed,  or 
sold  their  scrip  or  claims  for  a  trifle,  while  those 
who  bought,  or  held,  did  well.  The  suspension  of 
work  on  the  canal  intensified  the  hard  times  and 
general  poverty  and  embarrassment  of  the  settlers, 
it  stopped  emigration,  and  many  left  the  country. 

In  1845-0,  the  State  made  an  arrangement  with 
the  persons  of  whom  money  had  been  borrowed  for 
canal  purposes  (who  had  received  no  interest  on  the 
loans  for  some  years,  as  the  State  was  utterly  unable 
to  pay  it,)  b}^  which  the  bondholders  were  to  take 
possession  of  the  canal  and  canal  lands,  to  advance 
the  money,  about  $1,60<>,000,  and  finish  the  canal  ; 
sell  the  canal  lands  not  below  the  appraised  value, 
and  receive  the  tolls  of  the  canal  ;  and  when  they  had 
received  their  full  pay,  the  canal  was  to  become  the 
propert}^  of  the  State.  Under  this  arrangement 
work  was  resumed,  and  the  canal  was  completed 
in  1848. 


Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  191 


The  canal  lands  paid  a  large  proportion  of  the  cost 
of  construction,  and  with  the  tolls  liquidated  the 
last  of  the  debt  in  1873,  and  the  canal  was  turned 
over  to  the  State.  It  now  pays  the  State  about 
$110,000  net,  yearly.  The  original  design  was  to  feed 
the  canal  from  the  lake,  by  cutting  through  the 
surrounding  ridge,  which  securely  holds  the  waters 
of  the  lake,  but  the  embarrassment  of  the  State,  and 
difficulty  of  obtaining  means,  compelled  the  adoption 
of  what  was  called  the  shallow-cut  plan,  which  saved 
six  or  eight  feet,  in  depth,  of  rock  excavation  for  ten 
or  twelve  miles.  The  Calumet  river  was  dammed  for 
a  feeder,  and  immense  pumping  works  Avere  set"  in 
motion  at  Bridgeport,  on  the  Chicago  river,  which 
together  supplied  water  for  the  canal. 

In  1869,  Chicago,  under  an  arrangement  with  the 
State,  for  the  purpose  of  draining  and  cleansing  the 
Chicago  river  which  had  become  a  cess-pool  of  tilth, 
excavated  that  level  of  the  canal  to  the  depth 
required  for  the  lake  to  How  through  it,  so  that  it  is 
now  constructed  on  the  original  deep-cut  plan,  and 
the  lake  Hows  through  the  canal  and  Illinois  to  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Gulf.  It  has  reversed  the  cur- 
rent of  Chicago  river,  and  instead  of  its  flowing  into 
the  lake,  the  lake  Hows  up  through  the  river  into  the 
canal.  The  amount  expended  by  the  city  was  about 
$2,000,000,  which  was  refunded  by  the  State,  after 
the  great  hre  in  Chicago,  although  not  due  by  the 
terms  of  the  agreement.  The  damming  of  the  Calu- 
met for  a  feeder,  flooded  a  large  tract  of  swamp  land 
in  Indiana,  and  was  a  serious  ground  of  complaint. 
After  the  completion  of  the  deep  cut,  tlie   Calumet 


192  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


dam  was  removed,  to  the  great   satisfaction  of  the 
people  of  Indiana. 


BAXDITS,   ETC. 

About  the  year  1837,  the  settlements  in  Northern 
Illinois  became  infested  with  a  band  of  desperadoes 
familiarly  known  as  the  '"  Bandits  of  the  Prairies." 
Their  favorite  pursuit  was  horse  stealing.  The  scat- 
tered population  being  confined  most!}'-  to  the  edge  of 
the  timber,  while  the  broad  prairie  was  unoccupied, 
gave  them  an  opportunit}^  to  travel  with  their  ill- 
gotten  steeds  unmolested  to  Missouri,  Kentucky, 
and  Iowa,  which  the}^  did  very  successfully,  seldom 
being  caught.  Their  success  in  the  horse  line  soon 
emboldened  them  to  tr^-  other  branches,  and  burgla- 
ry, robbery  and  murder  were  not  unfrequent.  If  a 
settler  had  money  in  his  house,  it  would  in  some 
wa3'  become  knoAvn  to  the  gang,  and  they  would 
frequently  get  it.  In  one  instance  a  settler  had  seven 
hundred  dollars  in  a  trunk  under  his  bed,  the  robber 
entered  the  house  and  took  out  the  trunk,  while  the 
man  and  his  wife  were  awake  and  conversing ;  the 
robber  afterward  told  the  conversation  as  proof  that 
he  heard  it.  It  was  done  during  a  violent  thunder 
storm,  and  when  the  thunder  rolled  heavily  they 
would  draw  the  trunk,  and  when  it  ceased,  hold  on 
till  another  thunder  crash,  and  thus  they  got  their 
prey  without  being  noticed.  They  became  a  terror 
to  the  settlers,  especially  to  the  female  portion.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  religion  of  a  new  country  never  to 


Bandits^  etc.  193 


refuse  shelter  to  a  benighted  traveler,  and  at  the  time 
named  it  was  impossible  to  discriminate  between  the 
worthy  stranger  and  the  bandit  of  the  prairie.  And 
the  stranger  taken  in,  instead  of  proving  an  angel, 
has  often  broken  the  slnmber  of  his  host  by  appear- 
ing at  his  bedside  with  a  pistol,  demanding  his 
valuables.  The  civil  authority  seemed  entirely  in- 
efficient ;  in  many  instances  they  were  suspected  of 
complicity  with  the  gang.  If  arrested,  they  would 
break  jail,  or  by  some  technical  quibble  escape  the 
meshes  of  the  law.  They  became  very  bold  in  some 
localities,  stealing  cattle,  or  anything  they  could  \^j 
their  hands  on.  It  seemed  to  pervade  all  branches  of 
business.  The  grand  jury  of  La  Salle  County 
found  several  bills  against  a  butcher  in  Ottawa  for 
stealing  cattle,  and  it  was  conclusively  proved  that 
the  citizens  of  Ottawa  had,  although  unconsciously, 
lived  for  months  on  stolen  beef.  The  jury  were  very 
cautious,  in  presenting  the  bills,  to  have  a  warrant 
issued  before,  by  any  possibility,  the  butcher  could 
suspect  their  action  ;  but  he  knew  it  as  soon  as  they 
did,  and  left  for  parts  unknown. 

The  murder  of  Mr.  Davenport,  at  mid-day,  on 
the  Fourth  of  Jul.y,  alarmed  the  whole  country. 
One  of  the  gang,  by  the  name  of  Birch,  a  shrewd 
man,  but  an  accomj^lished  scoundrel,  was  arrested 
for  being  concerned  in  the  murder,  and  was  identi- 
fied as  the  man  who,  a  short  time  before,  in  the 
guise  of  a  Methodist  preacher,  stayed  over  night 
with  Jeremiah  Strawn,  a  wealthy  farmer  of  Putnam 
County  ;  attended  prayers  with  Brother  Strawn,  and 
a  night  or  two  after,  went  through  his  house,  taking 


194  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

all  his  valuables,  while  an  accomplice  held  a  pistol 
to  Strawn's  head,  to  keep  him  quiet.  Birch  was 
brought  to  Ottawa  as  a  witness,  but  not  used.  He 
shrewdly  pretended  to  be  willing  to  expose  the  gang. 
and  his  trial  was  put  off  for  several  months,  to  get 
his  testimony.  He  subsequently  broke  jail,  stole  the 
Jailer's  horse,  rode  him  about  a  hundred  miles,  and 
left  him  ruined.  He  wrote  back  to  the  sheriff,  apolo- 
gizing for  his  rudeness  in  not  taking  formal  leave, 
after  so  much  kindness  shown  him  while  an  inmate 
of  his  family  ;  said  he  only  borrowed  the  horse, 
but  believed  he  had  ruined  him.  and  hoped  he 
would  be  excused  for  both  offenses,  as  his  business 
was  very  urgent. 

That  was  the  last  ever  heard  of  Birch.  Exasper- 
ated beyond  measure,  smarting  under  the  loss  of 
property,  and  living  in  continual  fear,  the  people 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  self-preservation  was 
the  first  law  in  nature  ;  that  they  had  a  right  to  pro- 
tection from  the  law,  but  if  that  could  not  be  had, 
then  it  must  come  in  some  other  way. 

Vigilant  societies  were  formed,  for  arresting  crimi- 
nals and  bringing  them  to  punishment,  and  deep 
mutterings  were  heard,  indicating  a  feeling  that  was 
destined  to  reform  the  state  of  society.  One  of  these 
societies  was  formed  in  the  north  part  of  the  State, 
and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Campbell  was  chosen 
captain.  Campbell  was  a  Canadian,  a  man  of  great 
energ}'^  and  decision  of  character.  The  gang  were 
alarmed,  and  resolved  to  dispose  of  him.  One  Sun- 
day afternoon,  two  men  by  the  name  of  Driscoll, 
called   at  Campbell's    front   gate,  and  inquired  of 


Bandits,  etc.  195 


Campbell's  daughter  for  her  father  ;  Campbell  came 
to  the  gate,  when,  without  saying  a  word,  they  shot 
Mm  through  the  heart,  and  coolly  rode  off'.  The 
next  day  the  people  assembled  en  masse,  took  three 
of  the  Driscolls,  tried  them  by  a  jury  of  their  own, 
found  two  of  them  guilty,  gave  them  an  hour  to  say 
their  prayers,  and  shot  them,  as  they  did  Campbell. 
They  then  resolved  to  serve  every  thief  they  caught 
in  the  same  way.  The  effect  was  most  salutary.  It 
struck  terror  to  the  gang,  and  many  of  them  sought  a 
more  genial  clime  ;  showing  that  prompt  and  sure 
punishment  will  ever  cause  the  law  to  be  respected, 
and  hold  desperadoes  in  fear.  Prompt  conviction 
and  punishment  of  every  offense  is  the  remedy. 
Delay  is  little  better  than  entire  omission. 

Northern  Illinois  has  had  no  occasion  for  mob-law 
since,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  it  never  will  again. 
These  summary  measures.  Joined  with  the  incom- 
ing emigrants  spreading  over  the  prairies  and  filling 
up  the  country,  preventing  the  facilities  for  escape, 
made  the  freebooters'  occupation  a  more  dangerous 
one.  An  incubus  was  lifted  from  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  their  nightly  dreams  ceased  to  be  dis- 
turbed by  the  expected  visit  of  the  robber.  The 
vigilant  societies  were  continued  a  long  time,  and 
did  much  in  effecting  a  change  and  preventing  a 
return  of  the  evil.  The  frontier  settlements  have 
ever  been  the  favorite  haunt  of  the  outlaw,  and  it 
has  ever  been  one  of  the  most  serious  evils  the 
pioneer  had  to  encounter ;  for  this  pioneer  region 
offered  unusual  facilities  for  their  enormities,  as  the 
whole  country  could  be  traversed  either  by  night  or 


196  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


day  without  regard  to  roads,  and  it  was  almost  as 
difficult  to  follow  the  trail  of  a  thief,  as  the  flight 
of  a  bird.  A  horse  thief  would  travel  across  the 
prairie  all  night  at  a  speed  that  would  place  him  far 
away  in  the  morning,  then  lie  in  some  thicket,  miles 
from  the  settlements,  all  day,  and  nothing  but  the 
stars  or  wind  could  tell  you  where  to  find  him. 

An  impression  prevailed  at  one  time,  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  settlers,  who  were  strangers  to 
each  other,  were  connected  with  the  gang,  and  the 
utter  impossibility  of  tracking  the  thieves  increased 
that  suspicion.  The  bandits  tried  to  create  such  a 
belief. 

When  Birch  was  at  Ottawa,  under  surveillance, 
he  stated  that  there  were  about  400  in  La  Salle 
County  in  league  with  the  bandits,  but  refused  to 
give  any  name,  though  he  said  he  might  some  time 
do  so. 

This  suspicion  and  want  of  confidence  at  that 
time  was  a  serious  trouble,  and  well  calculated  to 
disorganize  and  disband  society.  But  it  soon  be- 
came apparent  that  Birch's  stoly  was  concocted  in 
his  own  interest,  and  subsequent  developments 
measurabl}^  removed  the  suspicions,  and  in  the 
end  proved  them  substantially  false. 

Among  a  population  derived  from  all  sections 
of  the  world,  suspicion  that  there  might  be  some 
Judases  among  the  number  was  not  unnatural  or 
unreasonable.  When  we  consider  the  restraining 
influences  of  society  upon  individual  conduct,  and 
the  scattered  and  isolated  situation  of  the  first  set- 
tlers, it  is  surprising  that  so  few  showed  the  cloven 
foot. 


Bandits,  etc.  197 


It  was  said  that  wlien  a   company  of  emigrants 
crossing  the  plains  to  Oregon  or  California,  were 
fairly  on  the  plains,  and  removed  from  the  restrain- 
ing influence  of  society,   individnals  that  hitherto 
had  borne  a  reputation  for  honesty,  fair  dealing  and 
gentlemanly    deportment,  often    proved    the    very 
reverse,  and  those  who  still  bore  themselves  honora- 
bly and  fairly  could  be  trusted  ever  after.     The  ex- 
perience was  a  trying  ordeal,  and  sifted  the  human 
character  most  thoroughly  ;   and  the  same  experi- 
ences have  transpired  on  the  frontier.     In  a  commu- 
nity with  a  dense  population,  where  each  individual 
is   subject  to   the   gaze   and   remark   of  numerous 
people,  the  character  is  artificial— is  made  to  order, 
and  adapted  to  the  market;  but  place  him  on  a  point 
of  prairie  five  miles  from  neighbors  and  twenty  miles 
from  town,  and  when  he  throws  off  his  broadcloth 
and  fancy  neck-tie,  he  also  drops  the  artificial  man, 
and  appears  in  his  true  character.     If  lie  is  made  of 
gold  lie  will  shine  the  brighter,  but  if  of  baser  metal, 
which  the  criticism  of   his  fellows  has   heretofore 
caused  liim  to  keep  burnished,  it  will  here  corrode 
and  rust,  and   defile   and  corrupt  him  and  all  his 
intercourse  with  his  family   and   neighbors.     Most 
of  the  pioneers  can  remember  the   rough,  uncouth 
and   overbearing  manner  of  some  individuals  who 
gave  vent  to  their  true  character,   when  they  felt 
relieved  from  the  social  influence  of  the  old  commu- 
nity they  had  left.     Such  individuals  were  usually 
cowards,  and,  like  all  cowards,  were  cruel  when  con- 
querors, and  abjectly  submissive  when  beaten.     It 
was  amusing   and   instructive  to  see   the   gradual 


198  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

transformations  snch  characters  underwent  as  soci- 
ety with  its  restraining  influence  formed  around 
them  and  forced  them  to  put  on  the  artificial  cover- 
ing that  much  improved,  but  could  never  conceal, 
the  real  one.  It  would  liave  been  very  singular  if 
such  persons,  v\^ithout  principle,  and  weak,  morall}- 
and  mentally,  had  not  fallen  in  w^ith  the  desperadoes 
that  preyed  upon  the  public  in  the  infancy  of  the 
forming  society,  and  that  such  was  the  case,  to  some 
extent,  was  known  to  be  true,  but  when  incoming- 
population  drove  out  this  gang,  it  reformed  their 
sympathizers ;  and  as  a  whole,  no  community  East 
or  West,  since  the  population  has  occupied  the  whole 
count3%  has  been  freer  from  crime  and  purer  in 
morals  than  La  Salle  County. 

The  settlers  were  not  adventurers  on  the  frontier 
seeking  for  something  to  turn  up,  but  came  to  find 
homes  for  themselves  and  families,  to  found  such 
institutions  as  they  would  Avish  to  leave  in  the  pos- 
session of  their  children.  Educated  and  intelligent, 
they  impressed  upon  their  children  their  own  appre- 
ciation of  education  and  correct  principles  ;  and 
their  experience  with  adverse  elements  had  the 
effect  to  confirm  them  in  their  former  convictions. 
A  close  study  of  the  antecedents,  character  and 
history  of  the  early  settlers  has  convinced  the 
writer  that  there  never  was  a  new  settlement  formed 
of  better  material,  a  more  moral,  intelligent,  ener- 
getic, and  enterprising  people. 


Irisli  Rebellion.  199 


IRISH  REBELLION. 


The  large  number  of  laborers   on    the  canal,   all 
transient  persons,  generally  without  families,  more 
numerous  at  one  time  than  the  citizens  of  the  county, 
was  to  some  a  source  of  uneasiness;  and  w4ien,  in 
the  summer  of  18h8,  the  rivalry  between   the  two 
(.'lasses,  the  Corkoniaus  and  the  Fardowns,  culmi- 
nated in  open  war,  it  created  very  serious  alarm. 
It   seems  the   Corkonians,   finding    themselves  the 
most  numerous  on  the  line,  resolved  to  drive  the  Far- 
downs  from  the  work  :  commencing  at  the  upper  part 
of  the  line,  near  Chicago,   the  members  of  the  clan 
fell  in  as  they  progressed  westward,  and  woe  to  the 
poor  Fardown    who  fell  in  their  way  ;    they   took 
the  ferry  boat 'by  force  at  Ottawa,  crossed  the  Fox, 
and  went  on  to  La  Salle,  promising  to  clean  out  Ot- 
tawa when  they  came  back.     At  the  lower  end  of 
the  line,  they  found  their  opponents  in  considerable 
numbers,  who  held  them  in  check,  when  they  fell 
back  to  Camp  Rock,  where  they  cruelly  maltreated 
contractor  Durgan's  hands,  and  then  returned  up  the 
line.     Sheriff  Alson  Woodruff   had    called  out  the 
force  of  tlie  county,  sending  in  all  directions  for  the 
scattered  settlers  to  come  in  with  their  arms.     He 
mustered   about  eighty   men,  and   placed  them  in 
charge  of  Maj.  D.  F.  Hitt,  and  M.  E.  Hollister,  as 
military  commanders.     They  met  the  rioters  below 
Buffalo  Rock,   but  fell  back  to   near   Ottawa  ;  the 
Sheriff  read  the  riot  act,  and  ordered  them  to  dis- 
perse, and  on  their  refusal  fired  a  volley  into  them 
with  good  aim,  when  they  quickly  fled,  part  toward 


200  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Bnftalo  Rock,  pursued  by  tlie  footmen,  and  part 
toward  the  Xorth  Bluff,  pursued  by  the  citizens  on 
horse  back.  Some  swam  the  river,  and  were  fired 
on  when  in  the  water.  The  reports  as  to  the  effect 
of  the  fire  were  very  contradictor}',  some  claiming 
fourteen  or  fifteen  killed,  and  a  large  number 
wounded,  some  denjdng  the  killing  of  any  :  but 
the  general  impression  was  that  several  were  killed, 
and  many  wounded  ;  about  sixty  were  arrested, 
held  awhile,  and  admitted  to  bail  on  their  own  re- 
cognizance, as  the  county  had  neither  the  means  nor 
accommodations  to  hold  them.  The  rebellion  was 
effectually  quelled,  and  was  not  repeated.  The 
Fardowns,  smarting  under  their  wrongs,  felt  dis- 
posed to  take  revenge  on  their  conquered  foes,  but 
were  informed  that  they  must  submit  to  the  law, 
and  did  so. 


CRIMINAL  RECORD. 

Notwithstanding  the  panic  created  by  the  events 
above  related,  and  the  apprehensions  of  the  timid, 
no  further  trouble  of  a  serious  character  occurred 
during  the  building  of  the  canal.  The  record  of 
crime  committed  in  the  county  is  not  a  large  one, 
when  we  take  into  consideration  the  amount  of 
public  works  constructed  and  the  large  number  of 
transient  population  employed. 

A  few  of  the  most  noted  offenses  are  related. 

Two  residents  of  Earlville.  Philips  and  Morse,  quar- 
reled about  a  claim  on  Government  land,  at  that  time 


Criminal  Record.  201 

a  very  common  cause  of  contention.  Morse  was  shot 
by  Philips  ;  no  one  witnessed  the  transaction  ;  both 
had  threatened  and  were  quarreling  at  the  time,  and 
the  particulars  of  the  affair  will  probably  never  be 
known  ;  neither  were  regarded  as  bad  men.  Philips 
was  convicted  of  manslaughter,  but  escaped  punish- 
ment by  a  repeal  of  the  law  fixing  the  penalty  for  the 
offense.  He  is  still  living  in  the  town  of  Earl  and 
regarded  as  a  quiet,  inoffensive  citizen. 

While  hauling  timber  at  Troy  Grove,  Quigby  and 
Edgecomb  quarreled,  Quigby  struck  Edgecomb  over 
the  head  with  a  large  club  with  fatal  effect.  He 
was  tried  and  convicted  of  murder,  but  the  verdict 
was  set  aside  on  the  ground  that  the  provocation 
was  great,  Edgecomb  having  seized  Quigby  by  the 
beard,  he  having  a  very  long  and  heavy  one. 
Quigby  is  still  living  in  the  west  part  of  the  county. 

The  house  of  a  Mr.  Swift  living  near  Troy  Gfrove, 
was  entered  in  the  night  by  two  men,  and  while 
one  held  the  pistol  at  the  heads  of  Swift  and  his 
wife,  the  other  collected  the  valuables,  including  a 
considerable  sum  of  money. 

At  the  trial,  at  Ottawa,  of  a  man  for  robbing  a 
peddler,  in  the  same  neighborhood,  which  was 
pretty  fully  proved,  as  the  man  was  found  in  the 
possession  of  the  peddler's  goods,  two  men  from 
Lee  County,  Dewey  and  Bliss,  appeared  and  swore, 
that  at  the  time  the  peddler  was  robbed,  the  accused 
was  playing  cards  with  them  at  a  place  forty  miles 
distant.  Mr.  Swift  and  his  wife  being  present, 
identified  these  witnesses  as  the  men  that  robbed 
their  house.     Dewev  and  Bliss  were  arrested,  con- 

14 


202  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

victed  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary.  Subsequently, 
wlien  the  notorious  Bircli  was  at  Ottawa  under 
arrest,  he  stated  that  he  and  another  leading  member 
of  the  gang  by  the  name  of  Fox,  robbed  Swift ;  that 
Dewey  had  a  stiff  hip,  and  Bliss  a  crooked  knee  ; 
that  when  they  committed  the  robbery  they  affected 
these  infirmities  to  avoid  detection,  and  these  were 
the  peculiarities  by  which  the  Swifts  recognized 
Dewey  and  Bliss  when  they  testified  against  them 
at  their  trial.  The  prosecuting  attorney  conferred 
with  the  Governor,  and  while  they  considered 
Dewey  and  Bliss  innocent  of  the  crime  for  which 
they  were  convicted,  they  were  proved  to  be  mem- 
bers of  the  gang,  and  they  decided  to  let  them  take 
the  punishment  on  general  principles. 

An  Englishman  by  the  name  of  Liley,  was  mur- 
dered and  his  body  found  near  the  Danville  road, 
Just  in  the  edge  of  Livingston  County.  The  clothing 
was  all  removed,  and  the  face  mutilated  to  prevent 
identification.  The  day  before  Liley' s  disappear- 
ance, he  had  been  in  Ottawa  and  purchased  a  scythe 
and  snath,  and  left  on  foot  for  his  home  in  Livingston 
County.  About  a  week  after,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  George  Gates  was  arrested  for  passing  counterfeit 
money,  and  lodged  in  jail  in  Ottawa.  He  was  iden- 
tified as  having  been  seen  traveling  with  lAlej  just 
at  evening  on  the  day  of  his  disappearance,  and 
carrying  Liley' s  scythe;  the  wounds  upon  Liley 
were  two  cuts  across  the  face  and  a  triangular  cut 
across  the  top  of  the  head  cutting  through  the  skull. 

A  scythe  was  found  near  the  body,  bent  so  as  to 
fit  the  triangular  cut  in  the  head. 


La  Salle  &  Dixon  Railroad.  203 

Gates'  clotlies  were  bloody,  as  proved  by  his 
washerwoman,  and  he  paid  out  some  Prussian 
thalers,  such  as  Liley  had  received  at  the  bank  in 
Ottawa ;  and  Gates  was  seen  wearing  a  coat  of  Liley' s. 
At  the  June  term  of  the  court  in  Ottawa,  1853,  Gates 
was  convicted,  and  hung  in  August,  following — the 
only  execution  that  ever  took  place  in  the  county. 

In  December,  1853,  about  four  hundred  men  were 
employed  on  the  line  of  the  Central  Railroad,  south 
of  the  river,  at  La  Salle.  A  misunderstanding- 
existed  between  the  contractor,  Albert  Story,  and 
these  men.  Their  wages  had  been  reduced  from 
$1.25  to  one  dollar  per  day.  After  considerable 
altercation.  Story  went  to  the  stable  to  get  his  horse, 
to  escape,  when  they  rushed  upon  him  with  picks 
and  stones,  and  instantly  killed  him.  Twelve  were 
indicted  as  leaders  ;  four  of  them  took  a  change  of 
venue  to  Kendall  county,  and  were  convicted  of 
murder.  A  new  trial  was  granted,  which  resulted 
in  a  second  conviction.  Governor  Matteson  com- 
muted their  punishment  to  imprisonment  for  life, 
and  finally  granted  a  full  pardon.  The  La  Salle 
people  were  dissatisfied  with  the  executive  clemency, 
and  when  Matteson  was  on  a  visit  to  La  Salle  he  was 
burnt  in  effigy. 


LA   SALLE   &   DIXON   RAILROAD. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1841,  the  Legislature 
chartered  the  La  Salle  &  Dixon  Railroad  Company, 
giving  them  the  grading  and  work  done  on  the  old 


204  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Illinois  Central  road  on  their  line,  and  abandoned 
when  the  financial  crash  came.  During  the  year 
operations  commenced,  and  a  bank  of  issue,  pre- 
tending to  be  authorized  by  the  charter,  was  estab- 
lished. This,  for  the  time,  infused  new  life  into  the 
business  of  that  localit}^,  but  the  new  state  of  things 
was  hardly  inaugurated,  when  the  whole  concern, 
including  the  bank,  exploded.  The  prime  actor  in 
this  enterprise  was  A.  H.  Bangs,  a  man  of  smooth 
and  fair  exterior,  but  who  proved  to  be  a  mere  ad- 
venturer, without  character,  capital,  or  credit.  Not 
a  hundred  dollars  in  money  or  reliable  paper  had 
been  used  in  the  whole  transaction  of  establishing 
and  running  a  bank,  and  partially  constructing  forty 
miles  of  railroad.  All  the  money  used  was  the 
ivorthless  issues  of  the  bank.  The  laborers,  and  the 
farmers  who  supplied  them  with  provisions,  were 
never  paid.  The  former  tried  to  get  satisfaction  by 
wreaking  their  vengeance  on  the  person  of  Bangs. 
He  was  dragged  through  the  mudd}^  streets,  but  was 
finally  rescued  by  the  citizens,  placed  in  a  skifl',  and 
sent  down  the  river. 

The  hopes  of  the  community  thus  blighted  opened 
an  old  sore,  and  seemed  worse  than  the  first  experi- 
ence. An  over-anxiety  for  a  resumption  of  busi- 
ness, and  desire  to  welcome  an  outlay  of  money, 
made  Bangs'  opportunity,  and  il:  he  had  had  one  or 
two  thousand  dollars  in  good  money,  he  might  have 
completed  and  run  his  forty  miles  of  railroad. 


Recovery  from  Hard  Times.  205 


RECOVERY  FROM  HARD  TIMES. 

From  about  1841  to  1842,  there  was  a  perceptible 
improvement  in  the  financial  condition  of  the  coun- 
tr}^,  slight,  it  is  true,  but  enough  to  be  the  harbinger 
of  hope.  The  people  had  commenced  working  their 
wa}'  out  of  their  depression  by  almost  imperceptible 
progress,  and  by  the  most  patient  and  persevering 
toil.  To  earn,  and  not  to  spend,  was  their  motto, 
from  necessity,  if  not  from  choice.  Such  a  soil,  a 
deposit  of  untold  wealth,  worked  by  willing  and 
determined  hands,  could  but  achieve  success.  The 
weight  of  debt  that  pressed  upon  the  State  and  peo- 
ple seemed  too  heavy  to  be  lifted  by  the  toil  of  a 
century  ;  but  no  burden  could  discourage,  and  no 
task  appeared  bej^ond  their  cajDacity,  even  under  the 
most  adverse  circumstances. 

Smarting  under  the  stigma  of  virtual  repudiation 
and  the  oj)probrium  of  passing  stay  laws,  to  put 
their  creditors  at  defiance  ;  charged  with  public  rob- 
bery and  private  dishonesty,  thej  pursued  the  only 
course  that  could  surmount  their  accumulated  mis- 
fortune, and  restore  the  good  opinion  of  the  world. 
It  is  true,  a  few,  and  some  of  the  leading  politicians 
advocated  repudiation,  claiming  that  the  debt  never 
could  be  paid,  but  that  sentiment  was  quickly 
crushed  by  an  emphatic  expression  of  public  opin- 
ion in  the  contrary  direction. 

The  people  bore  the  taunts  heaped  upon  them 
with  the  more  equanimit}^,  as  they  were  conscious 
of  not  being  really  in  fault.  The  terrible  revulsion 
that  swept  older  communities  into  bankruptcy  struck 


206  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


them  when  struggling  with  the  toils,  privations,  and 
inevitable  poverty  of  a  new  settlement.  By  the  side 
of  older  commnnities  and  States,  they  were  like 
infants  by  the  side  of  giants.  Yet  they  were  equal 
to  the  emergency,  and  proved  to  the  world  their 
honesty,  their  indomitable  energy  and  determination, 
and  the  wonderful  resources  of  their  adopted  State. 
Sobered,  and  made  wiser  by  the  severe  ordeal  they 
had  passed  through,  they  were  the  better  prepared 
to  improve  and  utilize  all  the  advantages  offered  by 
returning  prosperity. 

On  the  21st  of  February,  1843,  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act  to  provide  for  the  completion  of  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  Canal,  and  payment  of  the  canal 
debt.  The  act  was  a  Avise  and  judicious  one,  inasmuch 
as  it  honestly  placed  the  canal  and  canal  lands  in  the 
hands  of  the  bondholders,  to  be  held  as  security  for 
the  payment  of  their  debt,  and  at  the  same  time 
guarded  the  interest  of  the  State.  The  bondholders 
were  to  finish  the  canal,  and  out  of  the  income  and 
sale  of  the  lands,  to  pay  themselves.  The  proposi- 
tion was  accepted  by  the  bondholders,  and  under 
their  direction,  work  which  had  been  suspended  for 
several  years,  was  resumed,  and  this  great  state  and 
national  work  completed  in  1848.  This  arrangement 
relieved  the  State  of  six  and  a  half  millions  of  in- 
debtedness, and  was  the  first  step  upward  on  the 
road  to  solvency. 

There  was  one  item  of  business,  that,  during  the 
years  of  stagnation,  infused  a  little  life  into  certain 
portions  of  the  county ;  this  was  the  line  of  travel  be- 
tween St.  Louis  and  Chicago  which  passed  through 


Becomry  from.  Hard  Times.  207 


tlie  county.  A  steamer  from  St.  Louis  arrived  at 
Peru  daily,  connecting  with  Frink  &  Walker  s  line 
of  stages,  that  ran  to  Chicago,  and  during  the  sum- 
mer season  the  route  became  an  important  thorough- 
fare, from  four  to  eight  four-horse  coaches  leaving 
Peru  daily.  The  building  of  tlie  Chicago,  St.  Louis 
&  Alton  Railroad,  making  a  direct,  railroad  commu- 
nication between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  effectually 
closed  this  thoroughfare,  and  Frink  &  Walker's 
stages  sought  other  lields  of  enterprise. 

In  the  Mexican  war  the  county  responded  with 
her  proportion  of  troops  called  for.  Champlin  R. 
Potter  raised  a  part  of  a  company  of  volunteers, 
and,  when  organized,  T.  Lyle  Dickey  was  com- 
missioned Captain,  and  E.  S.  Holbrook,  Lieu- 
tenant. Potter  presented  Captain  Dickey  with  his 
sword,  which  he  accepted  with  a  promise  not  to  dis- 
honor it.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace  served  in  this  company 
as  orderly  sergeant,  and  distinguished  himself  at 
Buena  Vista,  laying  the  foundation  of  his  future 
military  reputation.  The  La  Salle  County  company 
did  good  service  during  the  war. 

A  strenuous  effort  was  made  by  Peru,  and  vicinity, 
to  effect  a  division  of  the  county.  It  commenced  at 
an  early  day,  and  continued  for  several  years.  Peru 
had  from  the  first  aspired  to  be  a  county  seat,  which 
Ottawa,  and  the  east  part  of  the  county,  had  as 
persistently  opposed.  Ottawa  consented  to  a  cur- 
tailment of  the  territory  of  the  county  on  the  east 
and  north,  but  held  with  a  firm  grip  to  the  western 
jewel,  Peru  and  La  Salle.  The  matter  created  much 
bad  feeling,  and  nearly  all  elections  were  more  or 


208  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

less  affected  by  it.  The  completion  of  tlie  canal  and 
railroads,  facilitating  communication  with  the  county 
seat,  for  the  time  quieted  the  agitation. 

During  these  years  the  State  paid  no  interest  on 
her  internal  improvement  bonds ;  the  bondholders 
were  impatient  and  clamored  for  some  recognition 
of  their  claims.  The  county  was  also  in  debt  for  its 
court  house,  and  had  paid  no  interest  on  her  bonds 
for  years. 

The  provision  made  for  the  canal  indebtedness, 
and  the  partial  revival  of  business,  created  a  desire 
of  all  thinking  men  for  some  provision  being  made 
to  redeem  the  State  and  county  from  the  taint  of 
repudiation. 

In  1848,  the  Constitutional  Convention,  with  the 
design  of  making  it  permanent,  and  preventing 
repeal,  inserted  an  article  in  the  constitution  pro- 
viding for  levying  a  tax  of  two  mills  on  the  dollar, 
which  was  irrevocably  pledged  to  the  payment  of 
the  interest  and  principal  of  the  outstanding  State 
bonds.  The  people  ratified  this  b}"  a  decided  ma- 
jority. Although  the  amount  raised  by  this  tax  was 
entirely  inadequate  to  meet  the  amount  due,  yet  it 
showed  a  disposition  to  do  what  could  be  done,  and 
was  hailed  with  great  satisfaction  by  the  creditors 
of  the  State.  It  was  known  that  the  avails  of  the 
tax  would  be  constantly  and  rapidly  increasing,  and 
would,  in  time,  liquidate  the  debt.  It  gave  great 
confidence.  It  lifted  the  dark  shadow  of  dishonor 
from  the  reputation  of  the  State  and  people.  This 
important  constitutional  provision  was  the  turning- 
point  in  the  history  and  progress  of  the  State.     Tlie 


Hecovery  from  Hard  Times.  209 

amount  realized  was  soon  sufficient  to  pay  the 
interest,  and  to  create  a  sinking  fund  for  payment 
of  the  bonds  at  maturity.  The  provision  was  con- 
tinued in  force  till  a  new  constitution  was  made,  and 
till  a  large  amount  accumulated  in  the  treasury  over 
and  above  that  needed  to  pay  the  bonds.  The  State 
is  now  practically  out  of  debt.  The  county  soon 
followed  the  example  set  by  the  State,  and  the  first 
Board  of  Supervisors,  at  the  first  session  in  1851,  had 
the  satisfaction  of  providing  for  the  payment  of  the 
last  outstanding  court  house  bond. 

The  first  court  house  and  jail  was  built  in  1834. 
The  amount  paid,  as  allowed  by  the  commissioners, 
was  $402.20  for  the  court  house,  and  $235.54  for 
the  jail.  The  present  court  house  was  built  in  1841, 
and  accepted  as  complete  in  1842.  The  contract 
was  taken  by  William  F.  Flagg  for  $25,000,  but  he 
failed  to  build  it  for  that,  and  a  suit  was  commenced 
by  the  county,  but  was  compromised,  and  the  court 
house  and  the  apology  for  a  jail  in  the  basement, 
cost  $40,000,  and  county  bonds  were  issued  for  the 
amount. 

The  State  and  (iounty  nobly  redeemed  themselves 
by  paying  their  debts  as  soon  as  they  had  the  means  ; 
there  was  never  any  considerable  number  of  her 
people  in  favor  of  repudiation ;  but  they  failed  to 
pay,  simply  because  they  could  not.  Their  honest 
Intentions  were  shown  by  securing  the  canal  debt, 
and  the  enactment  of  the  provision  for  the  two-mill 
tax. 

In  the  winter  of  1851-2,  the  Legislature  chartered 
a  company  to  build  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 


210  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

giving  tliem  the  donation  of  lands  granted  by  the 
United  States  to  aid  in  its  construction.  The  com- 
pany, by  the  terms  of  the  contract,  in  consideration 
of  the  privileges  granted  and  the  donation  of  land, 
are  to  pay  the  State  seven  per  cent,  of  tlie  gross 
earnings  of  the  road  perpetually.  That  now 
amounts  to  about  $420,000  annually.  Work  was 
commenced  in  1852,  and  most  of  the  portion  in  La 
Salle  County  was  in  operation  in  the  fall  of  1853. 
The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago 
&  Rock  Island  roads  were  built  about  the  same 
time.  These  roads,  with  the  canal,  have  revolu- 
tionized the  business  of  the  county,  and,  with  the 
telegraph,  brought  us  into  communication  with  all 
the  world.  The  seclusion  and  distant  removal  from 
the  homes  of  our  youth,  so  irksome  to  the  pioneer, 
is  now  practically  abolished.  We  can  communi- 
cate with  distant  friends  in  a  few  minutes,  and 
transport  ourselves  there  in  a  day  or  two  of  time. 

The  cheap  transportation  of  lumber  has  enabled 
the  settler  to  build  and  fence  away  from  the  timber, 
and  independent  of  the  groves  and  timber  belts  so 
eagerl}^  sought  for  in  the  early  settlements.  The 
prairie  towns  on  the  outskirts  of  the  county  have 
rapidly  settled,  and  experience  has  proved  that 
there  is  no  valid  objection  to  the  settlement  of  the 
largest  prairies  when  lumber  can  be  obtained  for 
building  and  fencing,  and  coal  for  fuel ;  and,  with 
orchards  and  groves,  a  residence  there  is  about  as 
pleasant  as  along  the  timber,  and  more  healthful 
than  in  the  timber.  The  soil  is  found  to  be  as  good, 
and,  with  groves  of  timber,  which  are  easily  raised, 


Recovery  fro'in  Hard  Times.  211 

tlie  difference  in  value,  as  compared  with  farms 
near  the  timber,  is  merely  nominal.  Timber  hmd 
rapidly  declined  in  price.  Tlie  saw-mills,  which 
had  made  the  lumber  heretofore  used,  were  aban- 
doned, with  one  or  two  exceptions  only,  in  the 
county.  That  versatility  of  the  American  character, 
which  so  readily  adapts  itself  to  altered  circum- 
stances, was  conspicuous  here.  But  the  same  trait 
of  character  will  at  some  future  da}^  be  put  to 
the  test.  When  the  lumber  supply  fails,  as  fail  it 
will,  they  will  be  compelled  to  provide  a  substitute 
for  the  deficiency. 

Another  important  change  occurred  about  the 
same  time,  commencing  a  little  before, — a  change 
more  important  and  more  lasting  in  its  effect, — 
that  is,  the  introduction  of  improved  agricultural 
implements  and  machines.  It  has  more  than 
doubled  the  capacity  of  the  people  for  the  produc- 
tion of  farm  crops,  and  lifted  the  burden  of  slavish 
toil  from  the  shoulders  of  the  laboring  millions.  It 
will  make  the  farmer's  occupation  one  of  the  fine 
arts,  and  engineering  skill  and  scientific  knowledge 
the  qualification  required  in  a  farm  hand,  rather 
than  the  rude  muscular  strength  required  by  the 
old  system. 

The  implements  used  when  the  settlements  were 
being  made,  forty  years  ago,  would  be  regarded  as 
ridiculous  caricatures  now.  The  plow  then  used 
was  entirely  inefficient.  For  years  after  the  settle- 
ments commenced  in  La  Salle  County,  there  had 
never  been  a  plow  made  or  used  in  the  State  that 
would  clear  itself,  or  do  good  work.     The  old  bull- 


212  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

tongue,  a  wooden  mold-board,  with  a  flat  strip  of 
iron  for  a  share,  was  about  as  good  as  an}^.  Some 
brought  with  them  the  New  England  cast-iron  plow 
— a  good  one  there,  but  useless  here.  Any  plow 
then  in  use  would  load  with  the  fine  unctuous  soil 
to  the  depth  of  six  or  eight  inches,  when  it  would 
onl}'  drag  upon  the  surface,  barely  making  a  mark. 
A  paddle  was  carried  in  the  hand,  and  the  earth 
removed  every  few  rods.  But  the  work  was  poorly 
done  at  best ;  a  good  harrow  or  drag  would  do 
better  work  than  any  plow  then  in  use. 

The  first  plow  that  was  made  to  scour  was  the 
diamond,  as  it  was  called,  from  the  shape  of  the 
mold-board  or  share.  It  was  a  single  piece  of  iron 
made  dishing,  highly  polished  and  brought  nearly 
square  to  the  front,  and  tlie  pressure  would  make  it 
clear  itself.  The  farmer  who  first  saw  this  done  felt 
much  as  Morse  did  when  he  first  sent  a  message  by 
telegraph.  Successive  improvements  have  been 
made,  till  the  polished  cast-steel  plow  of  to-day  is  a 
beautiful,  as  well  as  a  perfect  working  instrument. 

The  harvester,  the  mower,  the  thresher,  the  loader, 
the  pitcher  and  binder,  and  numerous  other  imple- 
ments, have  all  come  into  use  within  the  last  thirty 
years.  Our  clean  prairie  s6il  offers  facilities  for  their 
use  that  can  not  be  found  elsewhere. 

Those  who  in  their  3'outli  used  the  flail,  the  sickle, 
the  cradle,  and  the  scythe,  and  who  had  their  wives 
or  daughters  drop  the  corn  wliile  they  covered  it 
with  the  hoe,  will  soon  have  passed  away,  and  the 
practiced  skill  whicli  once  used  those  implements 
will  be  among  the  lost  arts. 

The  tide  of  prosperity  that  followed  the  provision 


Recoxery  from  Hard  Times.  213 


for  the  State  and  county  indebtedness,  and  the  build- 
ing of  the  principal  railroads,  rapidly  settled  up  the 
unoccupied  prairies  in  the  county,  and  largely  added 
to  the  improvements  of  the  older  settlers.  The 
county  assumed  the  appearance  of  an  old  settled 
region.  Comfortable  houses  and  barns  sprung  up 
with  a  rapidity  probably  unequaled  by  any  other 
locality.  Orchards  and  cultivated  groves  trans- 
formed the  once  naked  prairie  to  an  abode  of  com- 
fort and  beauty. 

The  frugal  habits  of  the  early  settlers  gave  place 
to  habits  of  luxury,  and  verified  the  adage,  that 
mankind  usually  live  up  to  their  income. 

In  1857,  another  financial  crisis  occurred,  but  the 
altered  circumstances  of  the  people  enabled  them 
to  meet  it  with  comparative  impunity.  It  checked 
their  rapid  accumulation  of  wealth,  but  there  was 
no  suffering  except  with  the  commercial  classes. 

In  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  the  county  furnished 
nearly  six  thousand  men  for  the  army,  and  paid  out 
over  $600,000  for  military  purposes.  The  military 
history  of  the  county  during  the  war  would  fill  a 
volume,  and  justice  to  the  soldiers  and  to  the  county 
calls  for  such  a  history.  It  will  doubtless  be  writ- 
ten. Such  a  work,  not  full  and  exhaustive  of  the 
subject,  would  be  unjust  to  some,  and  of  little  value. 

The  revulsion  of  1857,  with  the  loss  of  our  currency 
and  low  prices  consequent  upon  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  was  soon  followed  by  inflation  and  ex- 
cessively high  prices.  Those  who  held  their  grain 
from  1861  and  1862  to  1864  and  1865,  made  fortunes 
out  of  it.  This  inflation— with  the  certainty  that  an 
effect  ever  follows  the  cause  that  produces  it — was 


214  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

followed  b}'  the  contraction  and  failures  of  1873, 
from  which  long  depression  we  are  apparently  just 
recovering. 

The  county  soon  paid  the  8600,000  of  war  debt, 
and,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors in  Sej^tember,  1877,  was  reported  by  the 
Treasurer  as  entirely  free  from  debt,  without  an 
outstanding  order,  and  with  828,000  in  the  treasury. 

Several  lines  of  railroad  have  been  built  within 
the  last  ten  years,  all  centering  in  Streator  :  the  road 
from  Streator  to  Winona,  now  extended  to  Lacon  ; 
the  Paducah.  running  southeast  from  Streator  ;  the 
Chicago,  Pekin  &  Southwestern  ;  and  the  Fox  River 
road,  now  leased  and  operated  b}^  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Compan}'.  The  latter  tra- 
verses nearly  the  extent  of  the  county,  and  is  doing 
a  large  and  profitable  business,  principally  in  the 
shipment  of  coal. 

The  following  table  of  elevations  on  the  Fox 
River  Railroad  has  been  furnished  by  Mr.  Wilson, 
who  was  chief  engineer  during  its  construction  : 

FEET. 

Taking  low  water  on  tlie  Illinois  river  as  00,          ...  OO 

Highest  point  between  Ottawa  and  Covell  creek  is    -        -        -  155 

Grand  Ridge  station, 208 

Streator  at  shaft  side-track, 181 

Yermillion  river,       -.----__-  106 
Going  north  from  Illinois  river  : 

Ottawa  station, -        -        -  35 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  surface  of  water,        ...  40 

Dayton, ...-.-  93 

Indian  creek,  surface  of  water,        ------  54 

Highest  point  in  Serena, -  195 

Fox  river  at  Sheridan,  surface  of  water,          .        -        .        .  82 

Sheridan  station.          -        - 144 


County  Commissioners.  215 


COUNTY    COMMISSIONERS 

Of  La  Salle  Coukty — Frcm  1831  to  1849,  when  a  County  Judge 
and  two  Associates  transacted  the  County  business  for  one  year, 
to  1850,  ichen  the  first  Board  of  Supervisors  were  elected. 

1831.  John  Green,  James  B.  Campbell,  Abram  Trumbo. 
Dec,     1832.      Martin  Reynolds,  vice  Jas.  B.  Campbell. 

1832.  Daniel  Kellogg,  Simon  Crosiar,  Martin  Reynolds. 

1834.  Isaac  Dimmick,    Geo.   Havenbill,  Robert  P.  Wood- 

worth. 

1835.  Benjamin  Thurston,  vice  R.  P.  Woodworth. 

1836.  David  Reader,  Thomas  Burnham,  Wm.  Barbour. 
1838.     Isaac  Dimmick,  Ralph  WoodruflG^^m.  Barbour. 

March,  1839.  Henry  Green,  vice  Wm.  Barbour,  resigned. 

Aug.,    1839.  Hiram  P.  Woodworth,  vice  Ralph  Woodruff.'^ 

"        1840.  Alson  Woodrufi",  vice  Henry  Green. 

■     "        1841.  Patrick  Hanlejs  Vice  Isaac  Dimmick. 

"        1842.  Harvey  Leonard,  vice  Hiram  P.  Woodworth. 

"        1843.  Samuel  Mackey,  vice  Alson  Woodruff. 

"        1844.  Robert  Rowe,  vice  P.  Hanley. 

"         1845.  Chas.  H.  Gilman,  vice  Harvey  Leonard. 

1846.  Chas.  C.  Elliott,  vice  Samuel  Mackey. 

"        1847.  John  Kennedy,  vice  Robert  Rowe. 

1848.  Chas.  H.  Gilman,  vice  C.  H.  Gilman. 

"        1849.  Henry  Gt.  Cotton,  County  Judge  ;  Chas.  H.  Gilman 
and  Patrick  M.  Kildufl,  Associates. 

County  divided  into  Townships  by  Champlin  R.  Potter,  Levi 
Kelsey  and  Israel  6.  Cooper. 

Report  filed  February  28th,  1850. 

First  Board  of  Supervisors  met  May  27th,  1850,  in  special 
session. 


216 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


LIST  OF  COUNTY  OFFICERS. 


Assessor  and  Treasurer. 

County  Clerk. 

Sheriff. 

1831. 

Wm.  Richey. 

David  Walker. 

Geo.  E.  Walker. 

1832. 

11 

(( 

<t 

1833. 

Anthony  Pitzer. 

1 1 

i( 

1834. 

(June  3d). 

Joseph  Cloud. 

W.  Stadden  (Oct.) 

1835. 

James  M.  Sawtell, 

K 

11 

1836. 

Henry  Madden, 
(resigned  July  2(j). 

It 

Alson  Woodruff. 

1836. 

Lorenzo  Leland  (July  23).         " 

K 

1837. 

Conrad  Debaugh. 

(( 

l{ 

1838. 

it 

it 

Wm.  Reddick. 

1839. 

Jabez  Fitch. 

(( 

It 

1840. 

it 

(( 

(( 

1841. 

tt 

(1 

11 

1842. 

K 

Maurice  Murphy  (Maj^  2).  " 

(vice  Cloud,  decea 

sed). 

1842. 

11 

Wm.  R.  McClay(Aug.)     " 

1843. 

(1 

Maurice  Murphy  ( Aug. )     ' ' 

1844. 

(< 

(I 

i( 

1845. 

(( 

(I 

(C 

1846. 

• 

(( 

Henry  Hurlburt. 

1847. 

Rees  Morgan. 

(( 

<t 

1848. 

11 

(1 

(( 

1849. 

Wagner. 

S.  W.  Ras^mond. 

{( 

1850. 

u 

(( 

Eaton  Goodell. 

1851. 

J.  B.  Ford. 

(t 

i.  ( 

1852. 

( ( 

<c 

Richard  Thorn. 

1853. 

i( 

11 

1 1 

1854. 

tt 

(C 

Francis  Warner. 

1855. 

Samuel  R.  Lewis. 

tl 

1 1 

1856. 

(< 

(( 

E.  L.  Waterman. 

1857. 

• 

Philo  Lindley. 

t  i 

1858. 

<c 

(( 

Francis  Warner. 

1859. 

Geo.  S.  Stebbins. 

(( 

It 

1860. 

(( 

(1 

E.  L.  Waterman. 

1861. 

(( 

S.  W.  Raymond. 

It 

1862. 

;i 

(< 

Wm.  R.  Milligan. 

County  Court. 


217 


COUNTY   OFFICERS— CoNTiNDED. 


Assessor  and  Treasurer. 
1863.     Wm.  E.  Beck. 
1864. 
1865. 
1866. 

1867.     Thos.  Bowen. 
1868. 

1869.     John  Shepherd. 
1870. 
1871. 

1872.  S.  W.  Raymond. 
1873. 
1874. 
1875. 
1876. 
1877. 


County  Clerk.  Sheriff. 

S.  W.  Raymond.     Wm.  R.  Milligau. 

Wm.  Cnllen. 
A.  B.  IMoore. 

H.  A.  McCaleb. 

Walter  Good. 
Daniel  Blake. 

A.  C.  Mclntyre. 

(( 

Rufus  C.  Stevens. 


Hilon  Mead. 


H.  A.  McCaleb. 


1831. 
1832. 
1833. 
1834. 
1835. 
1836. 
1837. 
1838. 
1839. 
1840. 
1841. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1845. 
1846. 


COUNTY    COURT. 

Probate  Judge.  Recorder. 

Jos.  Cloud  (July).       David  Walker. 


J.  V.  A.  Hoes  (Oct.) 


Thomas  Larkin. 


15 


Anthony  Pitzer. 


J.  W.  Armstrong. 


Henry  Hurlburt. 


Assessor. 


John  Palmer. 
Ralph  Woodruff.  (^ 
J.  Fitch,  {ex  officio) 


'218 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


COUNTY  COURT— CoxTiMED. 


1847. 

1849. 
aS57. 

1861. 
1865. 
1869. 
1872. 
1873. 


Probate  Judge. 

Henry  G.  Cotton, 

{Probate  Justice  and  Co. 
Judge  lo  Nov.,  185(5.) 


Eecoider. 
Sam'l  W.  Raymond. 


John  C.  Champlin, 

{June  21.  vice  Uotlon,  dec'd. 
Sleeted  Aug  .  1S5T.) 

P.  K.  Leland,  (Aug.) 


Philo  Lindley, 

(County  Clerk  and  (X  officio  Recorder.) 
John  F.  Nash,  {ex  officio). 


Chas.  H.  Gilman. 


Charles  Miller. 


A.  B.  Moore,  {ex  officio). 

Herman  Silver,  {ix  officio). 

Chas.  H.  Hook,  {ex  officio). 

Chas.  W.  Den  hard. 
1 1 


CIRCUIT   COURT. 


Tei-ms  of 
Court. 

Circuit  Judge. 

Prosecuting 
Attorney. 

Clerk  of 
Circuit  Court. 

1881. 

Richard  Young. 

Jas.  M.  Strode. 

L.  0.  Shrader. 

1833. 

(i 

Thomas  Ford. 

(( 

1834. 

1 1 

( I 

Joseph  Cloud. 

May,   1835. 

Sidney  Breese. 

James  Grant. 

( I 

Sept.      " 

Steph.  T.  Logan. 

i  i 

( t 

May,  1836. 

Thomas  Ford. 

t  ( 

u 

Sept.,     " 

i  i 

>t 

It 

May,   1837. 

John  Pearson. 

It 

it 

Sept,     " 

Jesse  B.  Thomas. 

A.  Huntingdon. 

t  I 

-Apr.,  1838. 

John  Pearson. 

Seth  B.  Farwell. 

i.  I 

Sept.,     " 

( 1 

A.  Huntingdon. 

Ck 

May,   1839. 

Thomas  Ford. 

N.  H.  Purple. 

c  t 

Nov.,  1840. 

I  ( 

(  ( 

C  I 

A.Apr.,  1841. 

(( 

Seth  B.  Farwell. 

<  ( 

-Nov.,     •■ 

(( 

i  i 

Lorenzo  Lelan 

Apr.,  1842. 

(i 

Jas.S.  Holt. 

(t 

^Nov.,     " 

John  D.  Caton. 

Seth  B.  Farwell. 

( ( 

.Mar.,  1843. 

J.  M.  Robinson. 

Benj.  F.  Fridley 

it, 

Nov.,    " 

John  D.  Caton. 

(  t 

a 

.Mar.,,  1844. 

1 1. 

(  i 

(( 

Circuit  Court. 


219 


CIRCUIT  COURT— Continued. 

Terms  of 
Court. 

Circuit 

Judge. 

P7'0S€Cuting                           Clei'k  of 
Attorney.                       Circuit  Cwirt. 

Nov.,  1844. 

John  D 

Caton, 

Beuj.  F.  Fridley.      Lorenzo  Leland 

Mar.,   1845. 

(i 

((                               1 1 

Nov.,      " 

u 

(C                                                                  (( 

Mar.,  1846. 

( I 

((                                          (( 

Nov.,     " 

(I 

B.  C.  Cook. 

Mar.,  1847. 

( ( 

(I                             i( 

Nov.,     " 

1  ( 

11                             <' 

Mar.,  1848. 

14 

Cl                                                <( 

Nov.,     " 

i  I 

U                                                                   11 

Mar.,  1849. 

T 

Lyle 

Dickey. 

Philo  Lindley. 

Nov.,     " 

(  ( 

((                                                                                    t  4. 

Apr.,  1850. 

ii 

C(                                                                   ii 

Oct.,      " 

u 

{(                                                                   i( 

Apr.,  1851. 

( 1. 

ik                                                                  (( 

Nov.,     ''• 

i  i 

(  (                                                         n 

Feb.,  1852. 

a 

((                                          <( 

June,     " 

Is. 

lac  G. 

Wilson. 

((                                                ( t 

Nov.,    " 

Edw.  S. 

Leland. 

W.  H.L.Wallace. 

Feb.,  1853. 

«     ii 

if                                                             (  ( 

May,      " 

1 1 

t(                                                                          I  i 

Nov.,     " 

(( 

(t                                                             W 

May,  1854. 

It 

i(                                                             4  t 

Nov.,     " 

C( 

i(                                                             i  I 

May.  1855, 

l( 

CI                                                             u 

Nov.,     " 

M. 

E.  Hollister. 

(  i                                                                  t  I 

May,  1856. 

(C 

(  (                                                                   ^  ( 

Nov.,     " 

l( 

1 1                                                                  1 1 

Feb.,  1857. 

(( 

W.  Bushnell.         John  F.  Nash. 

June,      '' 

t( 

11                               (1 

Nov.      " 

it 

11                               (I 

Feb.,  1858. 

(( 

O.C.Gray,  (5M&«?i«?<<e).      " 

Nov.,     " 

i( 

W.  Bushnell.                    " 

Feb.,  1859. 

(( 

((                                                            «  I 

Nov.,     " 

i  ( 

((                                                            ti 

Feb.,  1860. 

4( 

((                                                            i« 

June,     " 

(( 

(  t                                                            <  ^ 

220  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


CIRCUIT  COURT— Continued. 

Terms  of 
Court.  ■ 

Circuit  Judge . 

Prosecuting 
Aitwney. 

Clerk  of 
Circuit  Court. 

^ 

Nov.,  1860. 

M.  E.  Hollister. 

W.  Bushnell. 

John  F.  Nash. 

Feb.,  1861. 

(( 

D.  P.  Jones. 

A.  B.  Moore. 

June,     " 

(1 

tt 

1 1 

Nov.,     " 

(( 

(( 

tt 

Feb.,  1863. 

t( 

ti 

tt 

June,     " 

<( 

It 

It 

Nov.,     " 

<t 

ti 

tt 

Feb.,  1863. 

(( 

<( 

It 

June,     " 

i( 

tt 

(t 

Nov.,     " 

(t 

It 

tt 

Feb.,  1864. 

(( 

t< 

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Feb.,  1866. 

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Feb.,  1868. 

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Charles  H.  Hook. 

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Henry  Mayo. 

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Roswell  Holmes. 

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Senators  and  Representatities . 


221 


STATE  SENATORS. 

A  List  of  the  Names  of  the  Members  of  the  State  Senate  from 
La  Salle  County,  or  from  the  district  in  which  said  County  was 
included,  since  1831,  the  date  of  said  County''s  incoi'poration. 

1835.  James  W.  Stephenson. 

1836.  James  M.  Strode. 

.1839,  1840-1.     William  Stadden.  — 
1842-3,1844-5.     Micliael  Ryan. 
1847-49-51.     William  Reddick. 
1853-55-57-59.     B.  C.  Cook. 
1861-63-65-67.     Washington  Bushnell. 
1869,  1871-2.     Jason  W.  Strevell. 
1873-4.     Elmer  Baldwin. 
1575-77.     Fawsett  Plumb. 


REPRESENTATIVES. 


List  of  Rejyresentatives  to  the  State  Legislature  from  La  Salle  Co., 
from  1835  to  1877,    bath  inclusive. 


1835.        John  Hamlin.  1853. 

1837.         Henry  Madden. 

1838-9.     Joseph  W.  Churchill.        1855. 

1840-1.     Abram  R.  Dodge. 

1842-3.     James  H.  Woodworth.     1857. 

Elisha  Bibbens. 

W.  H.  W.  Cushman.         1859. 
1844-5.     W.  H.  W.  Cushman. 

Ambrose  O'Connor.  1861. 

Geo.  W.  Armstrong. 
1847.        A.  O'Connor.  1863. 

Jos.  O.  Glover. 

William  Barbour. 
1849.         Geo.  W.  Gilson.  1865. 

M.  E.  Lasher. 
1851.        John  Hise- 


C.  R.  Potter. 
C.  L.  Starbuck. 
David  Strawn. 
Frederick  S.  Day. 
Elmer  Baldwin. 
James  N.  Reading. 
A.  Campbell. 
R.  S.  Hicks. 
Andrew  J.  Cropsey. 
John  W.  Newport. 
Theodore  C.  Gibson. 
M.  B.  Patty. 
John  O.  Dent. 
Franklin  Corwin. 
John  Miller. 
Jason  W.  Strevell. 


222 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


REPRESENT  ATI  VES—CoNTiN  ued  . 

1873.        Lewis  Soule. 

Joseph  Hart. 

Geo.  W.  Armstrong. 
1875.         Charles  L.  Hoffman. 

Geo.  W.  Armstrong. 

Elijah  H.  Spicer. 
1877.        L.  B.  Crooker. 

S.  M.  Heslet. 

Geo.  W.  Armstrong. 


1867.        Franklin  Corwin. 

William  Strawn. 

Elmer  Baldwin. 
1869.        William  Strawn. 

Franklin  Corwin. 

Samuel  Wiley. 
1871.         Geo.  W.  Armstrong. 

Benj.  Edgecomb. 

Jas.  Clark. 

H.  M.  Gallagher. 


I 


SKETCH  OF  THE  PIONEER  SETTLEllS 

OF   EACH   TOWN   IN   THE  COUNTY. 


OTTAWA. 


Ottawa  and  South  Ottawa  are  so  connected  in 
their  early  settlement,  that  it  is  impossible  to  intel- 
ligent! j^  separate  their  history.;  in  fact,  the  town 
and  business  were  first  established  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  river,  and  remained  there  till  183T-8. 
The  stages  which  ran  from  Chicago  to  Peoria, 
through  Ottawa,  crossed  the  river  by  the  ferry  which 
ran  from  the  point  above  the  Fox  to  the  south  side, 
and  very  few  of  those  who  passed  through  or  visited 
Ottawa  before  the  summer  of  1836,  ever  set  foot  on 
the  present  site  of  Ottawa,  below  the  Fox.  The 
commanding  geographical  position  of  Ottawa  ;  the 
surpassing  beauty  of  its  location,  in  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  and  romantic  valleys  of  the  West, 
bounded  on  the  north  and  south  by  the  lofty  wooded 
bluffs,  which  extend  in  gentle  sloping  undulations 
on  either  side  of  the  broad  open  valley,  both  east 
and  west,  till  they  mingle  with  the  horizon  ;  while 
the  clear  and  sparkling  waters  of  the  Fox,  from  the 
cooler  northern  region  of  Wisconsin^  breaking 
abruptly  through  the  north  bluif,  join  the  broad 
and  placid  Illinois  in  the  centre  of  what  is  now  the 


224  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

% 

cih',  together  forming  a  picture  which,  viewed  from 
either  blnif,  makes  an  impression  on  the  beholder 
not  easily  effaced — rendered  it  natural  that  the  emi- 
grant should  be  attracted  to  this  locality  first,  and 
that  manj'',  as  Avas  the  case,  should  stop  here  tem- 
porarily, who  eventually  settled  in  other  parts  of 
the  county  and  other  parts  of  the  West. 

Ottawa  was  early,  and  almost  from  its  first  incep- 
tion, designated  as  a  county  seat,  and  its  growth 
and  importance  were  somewhat  dependent  on  the 
size  of  the  count}^  of  which  it  was  to  be  the  centre. 
The  territorj^  embraced  in  the  first  organization  of 
the  countv,  which  was  equal  in  extent  to  some  of 
the  Eastern  States,  had  to  be  divided  and  set  off 
into  counties,  as  the  population  extended  and  their 
wants  required.  To  watch  this  process,  and  see  that 
it  was  judiciouslj"  done,  and  to  preserve  intact  a  large 
and  influential  count}^,  of  which  Ottawa  was  to  be, 
in  size,  business,  and  wealth,  the  fit  representative, 
was  for  years  the  self-imposed  duty  and  labor  of 
the  principal  citizens  of  the  place.  Many  were  the 
caucuses  held  and  pilgrimages  made  to  confer  with 
other  localities  within  the  county  limits,  to  arrange 
for  tiie  common  interest,  and  to  cut  off  just  enough 
to  leave  a  large  county,  but  not  enough  to  be  again 
divided.  These  efforts  were  successful,  and  the 
result  has  been  the  largest,  most  populous,  and 
wealthy  county  in  the  State,  except  Cook,  and  that 
gains  precedence  only  by  having  the  city  of  Chicago 
within  it.  Ottawa  has  never  had  a  mushroom 
growth,  like  some  towns  ;  its  progress  has  been 
slow   but   steady,  and   the  business  has  not  been 


SJi'etcli  of  Settlers  —  Ottaioa.  225 


overdone.  Before  the  building  of  the  railroads,  as 
a  grain  market  it  probably  was  not  surpassed  in  the 
State.  It  handled  as  high  as  four  million  bushels 
of  grain  in  a  year,  while  it  now  handles  scarcely 
more  than  one-fourth  of  that.  The  building  of  the 
railroads,  which  commenced  about  1850,  has  divided 
the  grain  business  among  the  many  little  prairie 
stations  which  have  sprung  up  along  the  lines  of 
road.  But  while  the  handling  of  grain  as  a  busi- 
ness has  radically  decreased,  the  growth  of  the  city 
has  not  been  stayed.  Its  future  evidently  does  not 
■depend  on  the  number  of  bushels  of  corn  and  oats  that 
will  pass  through  it,  or  on  the  retail  trade,  although 
both  will  be  important  items.  Its  facilities  for 
cheap  shipment  by  canal,  both  for  export  of  grain, 
and  import  of  lumber,  salt,  and  other  heavy  articles, 
will  give  a  decided  advantage  over  railroad  trans- 
portation. Its  future  lies  in  a  higher  sphere — man- 
ufacturing, the  wholesale  trade,  and  the  finer  and 
higher  priced  retail  business.  Those  numerous 
towns  that  have  crippled  the  trade  of  Ottawa  will 
be  but  customers  for  the  business  that  Ottawa  will 
finally  pursue. 

Dr.  Davidson,  said  to  have  been  from  Virginia, 
Avas  doubtless  the  first  American  citizen,  and  the 
first  white  man,  after  the  French  occupants,  that 
settled  in  the  county  ;  he  built  a  cabin,  and*  occu- 
pied it  in  the  early  summer  of  1823,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Illinois  river,  nearly  opposite  the  west 
<?nd  of  Buffalo  Rock,  and  traded  with  the  Indians. 
He  lived  alone,  and  was  found  dead  in  his  cabin  in 
1826.     No  kind  hand  smoothed  his  pillow,  or  moist- 


220  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


ened  his  parched  lips  ;  he  died  alone,  leaving  no 
kindred  to  mourn  his  departure.  Such  is  the  short 
but  sad  story  of  the  first  pioneer  where  so  numerous 
and  busy  a  population  now  live.  Dr.  Davidson  was 
a  well  educated  physician  ;  he  left  a  large  amount 
of  manuscript  which  was  not  preserved. 

Jesse  Walker,  a  Methodist  preacher  and  mission- 
ary, came  to  Ottawa  in  the  fall  of  1825.  He  was 
born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia  ;  his  educa- 
tion was  very  limited,  having,  it  is  said,  attended 
school  but  twenty  days  in  all.  In  company  with 
Presiding  Elder,  afterward  Bishop,  McKendree,  he 
emigrated  to  Southern  Illinois,  in  1806.  As  an  itin- 
erant preacher,  he  labored  on  the  frontier,  going 
north  as  the  population  extended  in  that  direction, 
till  he  reached  Peoria,  in  1824,  and  OttaAva  the  fol- 
lowing year.  In  the  spring  of  1826  he  established 
a  mission  among  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  at 
what  is  now  called  Mission  Point,  in  the  town  of 
Mission,  the  name  of  both  being  derived  from  this 
circumstance.  He  labored  faithfully  here,  preach- 
ing to  the  Indians,  and  keeping  a  school  for  some 
twenty-five  or  thirty  Indian  children  (but  with  very 
indiff'erent  success,  so  far  as  christianizing  and  civil- 
izing the  Indians  was  concerned),  till  the  syning  of 
1832,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Chicago  station, 
and  abandoned  the  mission.  The  Pottawatomies  of 
the  prairies  never  embraced  Christianity,  nor  became 
in  any  considerable  degree  civilized  ;  tlie}^  remained 
pagan  to  the  last,  resisting  effectually  both  Catholic 
and  Protestant  missionaries.  Mr.  Walker  remained 
two  years  in  Chicago,  when  he  retired  to  a  smalt 


Sketch  of  Sdtlers  —  Ottawa.  22T 


farm,  twelve  miles  west  of  Chicago,  where  he  died, 
October  5th,  1835.  He  was  buried  near  Plainfield. 
The  Methodist  Conference,  held  at  Plainfield  in  July, 
1850,  appointed  a  committee  of  their  body,  who  re- 
moved his  remains  to  the  cemetery  at  Plainfield,  and 
erected  a  stone  to  his  memory.  The  Conference 
attended  the  removal  in  a  body,  and  expressed  then' 
high  appreciation  of  the  valuable  services  of  their 
long-departed  brother. 

The  itinerant  Methodist   preachers  of  that   day, 
who  devoted  their  lives  to  their  mission,  ?ire  deserv- 
ing of  more  than   common  fame.     Traveling  from 
settlement  to  settlement  without  roads  or  bridges, 
fording  swollen  streams,  where  no  friendly  hand  could 
render  assistance  in  case  of  need,  for  the  night's  en- 
tertainment sharing  the  already  over-filled  cabin  of 
the  settler,  living  upon  the  coarsest  fare,  often  with- 
out food,  cold  and  wet,  paid  only  the  small  stipend 
the  impoverished  settler  could  spare,  after  meeting 
the  imperious  demands  of  his  own  family— these  self- 
denying  efforts  mark  a  hero  of  no  ordinary  character. 
The  names  of  Jesse  Walker,  Peter  Cartwright,  Beggs, 
St.  Clair,  and  their  co-laborers,  will  be  remembered 
and  revered  by  after  ages. 

Thomas  R.  Covell  came  from  Alton,  in  1824.  He 
settled  on  Covell  creek,  giving  his  name  to  that 
stream.  He  traded  with  the  Indians,  and  built  a 
mill  near  where  the  creek  emerges  from  the  bluff 
on  to  the  Illinois  bottom.  He  moved  to  Salt  Creek, 
Cook  County,  about  1833,  and  died  there.  The 
camp-ground  of  the  4th  Cavalry  was  Covell' s  corn- 
field. 


228  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

George  Brown  came  in  1824 ;  was  here  three  or 
four  years,  and  moved  to  Galena. 

Joseph  Brown  came  in  1824;  was  here  four  or  five 
years,  and  then  moved  to  Wisconsin.  His  son, 
Ford,  said  to  have  been  raised  by  the  Indians,  came 
to  Ottawa  in  1858  ;  he  lived  by  hunting  and  trap- 
ping, and  went  West. 

Wilbur  F.  Walker,  froni  Virginia,  1825,  son  of 
Dr.  David  Walker,  brought  up  the  first  keel-boat 
on  the  Illinois  river  ;  resided  in  Ottawa,  till  1857  ; 
then  removed  to  Union  County,  Illinois.  He  mar- 
ried Eliza  Bradford,  of  St.  Louis. 

Edmund  Weed,  from  Virginia,  1825,  married 
Keziah  Walker,  daughter  of  David  Walker  ;  re- 
moved to  Holderman'  s  Grove  in  1828,  then  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1849,  and  died  there  in  1857.  His  widow 
is  still  living. 

Dr.  David  Walker  and  wife,  Phebe  Finley,  came 
from  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  in  1826,  a  prac- 
ticing physician  ;  was  the  first  County  Clerk  of  La 
Salle  County.  Dr.  Walker  and  his  numerous 
family  was  a  large  element  in  the  settlement  and 
business  of  Ottawa  during  its  early  history.  He 
died  in  1835.  Of  his  children,  Keziah  married  Ed- 
mund Weed,  and  went  to  California.  Huldah  mar- 
ried Vitall  Vermit,  and  lived  at  Vermit'  s  Point  for 
many  years.  Elizabeth  married  Daniel  Newton,  a 
hardware  merchant,  and  Methodist  ^Dreacher.  Ade- 
line married  Wm.  Hickling.  Jane  N.  married  Jos. 
Cloud. 

Geo.  E.  Walker,  son  of  Dr.  David  Walker,  from 
same  place, came  to  Ottawa  in  1827,  and  married  Mar- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottaioa.  229 


garet  Thomas  from  Si.  Clair  County  ;  she  died  in 
1848.  He  traded  with  the  Indians,  and  was  a  cap- 
tain of  scouts  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  ;  was  the  first 
Sheriff  of  La  Salle  County,  and  for  many  years  an 
active  and  successful  merchant  in  Ottawa.  He  died 
in  1874,  leaving  two  living  children  :  Mary  Ann, 
married  Edw.  Coleman,  they  are  now  in  Maryland  ; 
a  son,  Augustus  Evans,  lives  in  Chicago  ;  Margaret, 
wife  of  Charles  Gossage,  died  in  Chicago  ;  Samuel, 
a  lawyer,  died  in  Ottawa  in  1869. 

David  Walker,  youngest  son  of  Dr.  David 
Walker,  came  with  his  father  in  1826,  married 
Lucy  Tozer,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  lives  in  Ottawa. 
They  have  one  son,  G-eorge  L.,  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Walker  has  been  Mayor  of 
the  city  of  Ottawa,  a  member  and  President  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  Alderman,  and  has  filled 
many  other  positions  of  trust. 

James  Walker,  from  Virginia,  in  1826,  a  relative 
of  Dr.  David  Walker,  settled  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Illinois  near  the  mouth  of  the  Fox,  went  to 
Plainfield,  and  died  there. 

Horace  Sprague,  from  Massachusetts,  first  came 
to  Bailey's  Grove  and  then  to  Ottawa  in  1825  ;  kept 
the  first  school  in  South  Ottawa ;  married  Miss 
Pembroke,  and  afterwards  Miss  Disney.  Went  to 
Indian  Creek,  then  to  Galena,  and  finally  became  a 
Mormon  Elder. 

George  Sprague,  brother  to  Horace,  from  the  same 
place,  first  came  to  Bailey's  Grove,  then  to  Ottawa 
and  Indian  Creek  ;  married  Mary  Warren,  and  went 
to  Galena. 


230  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Colonel  Sayers,  came  from  Alton  in  1826  ;  was 
tere  three  or  four  years,  and  removed  to  Galena. 

Joseph  Cloud  came  from  Kentucky  in  the  fall  of 
1832;  married  Jane  N.,  daughter  of  Dr.  David 
Walker  ;  in  1834  was  appointed  County  Clerk;  held 
the  offices  of  County  and  Circuit  Clerk,  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Postmaster,  and  Probate  Judge.  He  died 
in  1841.  An  excellent  and  very  popular  clerk  and 
magistrate. 

William  Hickling  came  from  England  to  Ottawa 
in  1834 ;  married  Adeline,  daughter  of  Dr.  David 
Walker  ;  for  about  twenty  years  was  a  partner  of 
George  E.Walker,  under  the  firm  name  of  Walker  & 
Hickling,  a  popular  house,  which  probably  sold  more 
goods  to  the  old  settlers  than  any  other  firm.  Mrs. 
Hickling  died  in  1848  ;  Mr.  Hickling  now  lives  in 
Chicago  with  his  second  wife. 

James  B.  Campbell  came  from  West  Tennessee  to 
the  south  part  of  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1829  ;  was 
State  Agent  for  sale  of  canal  lands,  and  one  of  the 
first  County  Commissioners ;  went  to  Galena  in 
1836. 

Col.  Daniel  F.  Hitt,  from  Champaign  County, 
Ohio,  in  1830  ;  came  as  one  of  the  corps  of  engineers 
locating  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal ;  lived  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Martin  Rejaiolds,  of  Deer  Park, 
He  served  through  the  Black  Hawk  war ;  a  surveyor 
and  engineer  ;  he  was  for  several  years  County  Sur- 
vejT'or  of  La  Salle  County;  was  Lieut. -Col.  of  the 
53rd  Illinois  Reg't  Volunteers  in  the  war  of  the 
rebellion.  He  married  Phoebe  Smith,  of  Marjiand, 
and  has  lived  mostl}^  in  Ottawa  ;  has  four  children  : 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  231 


Andrew  Jackson  resides  in  Athens,  Ohio;  H.  Hough- 
ton lives  in  Ottawa;  Eleanor  at  home;  Rector  Cass  in 
Chillicothe,  Ohio— all  single. 

Henry  L.  Brush,  from  Vergennes,  Vermont,  came 
to  Ottawa  in  1830,  as  surveyor  in  employ  of  the  U.  S. 
Oovernment.  Settled  in  Ottawa  in  1833,  removed 
to  Galena  in  1842,  returned  to  Ottawa  iu  1846  ;  still 
here.  Married  Caroline  E.  Gridley  ;  his  children 
are  :  Charles  H.,  a  practicing  attorney  in  Ottawa  ; 
William  E.,  died  in  the  army  ;  Catherine  E.,  Caro- 
line E.,  Edward  P.,  at  home  ;  Adele  E.,  died  recently, 

aged  16. 

Pyam  Jacobs,  from  Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  in 
1837,  merchant  and  partner  with  H.  L.  Brush,  went 
to  Galena  in  1842. 

John  V.  A.  Hoes,  from  Kinderhook,  N".  Y.,  in 
1836,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  practiced  at  the  bar 
for  several  years,  but  has  devoted  his  time  mostly 
to  financial  affairs  and  real  estate  ;  he  was  Judge  of 
Probate  from  October,  1837,  to  August,  1843.  He 
married  Fanny  Reynolds,  of  McHenry  County.  His 
children  are-:  Ella  A.,  widow  of  M.  B.  Peak,  of 
Gj-een  Bay,  and  Edward,  now  banking  in  Lake  City, 
Colorado. 

Dr.  Aaron  Bane,  from  Kinderhook,  New  York, 
came  with  J.  V.  A.  Hoes  in  1836,  a  practicing  physi- 
cian and  a  young  man  of  much  promise  ;  he  was 
drowned  by  the  swamping  of  the  ferry  boat  crossing 
the  Illinois  river  in  1840,  much  regretted. 

Seth  B.  Farwell,  from  New  York  to  Ohio,  and 
from  Ohio  here,  in  1835.  A  member  of  the  legal 
profession,  was  prosecuting  attorney  ;  went  to  Call- 


232  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

foriiia,  and  was  there  elected  judge  ;  he  died  on  his 
way  from  Kansas  to  California. 

Adam  Y.  Smith,  from  New  York,  1835,  was  here 
three  or  four  years,  was  law  partner  of  S.  B.  Far- 
well  ;  went  South,  and  died  there.  He  acted  for  the 
State  Bank  as  loan  agent.  The  loans  were  generally 
a  bad  investment  from  the  depreciation  of  values. 

W.  T.  S.  Lavinia,  from  Pennsylvania,  in  1836. 
Lawyer,  preacher,  plow  inventor  and  manufacturer, 
and  pawn  broker  ;  died  in  Chicago  about  1870.  A 
man  of  talent,  but  of  peculiar  temperament ;  when 
poor,  an  excellent  preacher,  but  with  money  in  his 
pocket  better  suited  for  a  lawyer  or  pawn  broker. 

Loring  Delano,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  wife, 
Sarah  Hardaway,  from  Utica,  New  York,  in  1833, 
kept  a  hotel,  and  is  well  remembered  as  the  host  of 
the  old  "Fox  River  House,"  at  that  time  the  crack 
hotel  of  Ottawa  ;  he  was  very  fond  of  hunting,  and 
kept  his  larder  well  supplied  with  game.  He  died 
in  1849.  His  widow  married  Oranzo  Leavens.  His 
children  are :  Charles,  now  in  Florida ;  James,  in 
California  ;  Edward,  somewhere  West. 

Lucien  Bonaparte  Delano,  brother  of  Loring, 
from  Utica,  New  York,  1836,  a  stone  mason  by 
trade,  and  an  active  Democratic  XDolitician ;  witty, 
and  quick  at  repartee,  his  burlesque  stories  and 
bon  mots  will  be  long  remembered.  He  died  in 
1870  ;  his  widow,  Mary  Ives,  lives  in  Ottawa.  He 
left  four  children  :  Lucien  is  in  Ottawa  ;  Cornelia  at 
home  ;  Benton  is  in  Marseilles  ;  Elizabeth  married 
George  Porter. 

Dr.  Allen  H.  Howland,  and  wife,  Katharine  Reed^ 


Slietch  of  Settlers  —  Ottaioa.  .  233 

from  Saratoga,  New  York,  1883,  a  prominent  phy- 
sician in  Ottawa  for  nearly  a  third  of  a  century  ;  he 
died  in  1866,  his  wife  died  in  1864,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren :  Henry,  who  married  Miss  Clark,  and  lives 
near  Ottawa,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Dr.  Mor- 
rison, and  lives  in  Michigan. 

Alson  Woodruff,  from  Onondaga  County,  New 
York,  1831,  was  County  Commissioner,  and  for  sev- 
eral years,  Sheriff  of  the  county ;  died  in  1856. 
First  wife,  Maria  Goodell ;  second.  Miss  Burgett. 
Children  :  Maria  ;  Nathan  ;  Rathbun  ;  Elizabeth,  in 
Ohio  ;  Minnie,  in  Springfield. 

Ralph  Woodruff,  brother  of  Alson,  from  Onon- 
daga County,  New  York,  in  1834,  was  County 
Commissioner  one  term,  an  active  Democratic  poli- 
tician. His  wife,  Delia  Gurley,  is  now  in  Chicago. 
He  died  in  1850 ;  had  two  daughters,  married,  and 
living  in  Chicago. 

Charles  Hay  ward,  from  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  to 
Cleveland,  in  1818  ;  from  Ohio  here,  1835  or  1836  ; 
was  School  Commissioner  of  the  county.  Died  July 
20,  1849.  His  widow  married  Henry  J.  Reid.  Mr. 
Hayward  left  two  children  :  George,  married  Nettie 
Strickland  ;  Estella  J.,  at  home. 

Henry  J.  Reid,  from  Pennsylvania,  1834,  car- 
penter by  trade,  married  Charles  Hayward' s  widow, 
is  living  on  the  bluff,  north  of  Ottawa. 

Nathaniel  Perley,  from  Massachusetts,  1836,  with 
Haskell,  built  a  mill  on  Indian  creek,  and  lived  in 
Ottawa  several  years  ;  has  now  gone  West. 

William  Haskell,  from  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
1836,  a  merchant ;  died  recently  in  Streator. 

16 


234  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Daniel  Newton,  from  Ohio,  1835.  Married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Dr.  David  Walker,  a  hardware 
merchant,  and  a  Methodist  preacher.  He  moved  to 
Ohio. 

Oranzo  Leavens,  from  Vermont,  last  from  Canada, 
in  1836.  Was  deputy  under  Sheriff  Woodruff,  and 
magistrate  for  the  last  eighteen  years,  since  April, 
1858.  He  married  the  widow  of  Loring  Delano.  One 
daughter. 

Downey  Buchanan,  from  Dauphin  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  St.  Louis,  1827;  came  to  South  Ottawa, 
October,  1834  ;  a  tailor,  by  trade  ;  kept  a^boarding- 
house  and  shop  ;  removed  to  North  Ottawa,  1836. 
Mr.  Buchanan  was  fond  of  hunting,  and  kept  a  pack  of 
greyhounds.  Many  of  the  earl}^  settlers  have  shared 
the  rare,  exhilarating  sport  of  coursing  over  the 
wild,  unoccupied  prairie,  with  Buchanan  on  his 
white  horse,  following  his  pack,  led  by  his  pet 
hound.  Speed.  A  good  mechanic,  and  a  worth}^ 
man,  he  was  as  diligent  in  business  as  in  chasing 
the  wolf  or  deer.  He  died  in  1850.  His  widow  sur- 
vives him,  and  one  son,  Ralph,  a  well-known  citizen 
of  Ottawa. 

Isaac  H.  Fredenburg,  born  in  Ulster  County,  New 
York,  came  from  Owego,  Tioga  County,  New  York, 
to  Ottawa,  June  14th,  1834.  Married  in  1835,  to 
Priscilla  Piatt,  of  Plattsburg,  New  York.  A  tailor, 
by  trade ;  has  followed  that  business  in  Ottawa  till 
the  last  three  years,  during  which  time  he  has  kept  a 
hotel  in  Utica.  His  son  Augustus  lives  in  Syracuse, 
New  York.  Henry  was  killed  when  thirty-two 
years  of  age,  by  the  blowing  down  of  the  sidewalk, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  235 


east  of  Fox  river  bridge,  in  Ottawa.  Elizabeth  is 
the  widow  of  Napoleon  Beaubian.  Piatt  died  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  Mary  married  Charles 
Moss,  and  lives  in  Utica.  Charles  is  in  Kansas,  and 
Ella  at  home. 

George  W.  Forsyth,  from  Burlington  County, 
New  Jersey,  in  1834,  was  the  first  lawyer  that  set- 
tled in  Ottawa  ;  went  South.  Lorenzo  Leland  was 
the  second,  Smith  &  Farwell  next,  and  Edwin  S. 
Leland  next. 

Edwin  S.  Leland  came  from  Massachusetts,  in  the 
fall  of  1835.  He  was  born  in  the  State  of  Maine,  and 
when  quite  young,  his  father.  Judge  Sherman  Le- 
land, removed  to  Roxbury,  Massachusetts.  Edwin 
S.  read  law  in  his  father's  office,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1834.  A  year  later  he  located  in  Otta- 
wa, and  in  1839  removed  to  Oregon,  Ogle  County. 
In  1840  he  was  married  to  Margaret  B.  Miles,  of 
Boston.  He  returned  to  Ottawa  in  1843,  and  in 
1852  he  was  chosen  Judge  of  the  Ninth  Judicial 
Circuit,  composed  of  six  counties,  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term  of  Judge  Dickey,  who  had  resigned.  In 
1866  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Judge  Hollister,  and  in  1867  w^as 
elected  by  the  people  to  the  same  bench,  for  the  full 
term  of  six  years ;  in  1873  he  was  re-elected  for 
the  Sixth  Judicial  Circuit,  composed  of  the  counties 
of  Bureau  and  La  Salle,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Judge  Leland  has  been  President  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Ottawa,  and  identified  with 
the  educational  interests  of  the  place,  and  has  been 
Mayor  of  the  city.     He  was  one  of  the  principal 


236  History  of  Lo.  Salle  County. 

actors,  if  not  the  prime  mover,  in  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party.  A  mass  meeting  was  held 
at  Ottawa  on  the  1st  of  August,  1854,  a  large  and 
very  distinguished  one,  which  organized  a  new  po- 
litical party,  and  christened  it  Republican.  Judge 
Leland  presided  at  that  meeting,  and  drew  up  the 
platform  of  principles  then  adopted,  as  well  as  the 
original  call  for  the  meeting.  The  principles  enun- 
ciated in  that  platform  were  soon  affirmed  through- 
out the  Northern  States. 

Judge  Leland  has  three  children.  George  M. 
married  Frances  C.  Cross,  is  a  lawyer  ;  Sherman  E., 
married  Louise  Poote ;  and  Georgiana  J.,  married 
H.  F.  Gilbert,  all  in  Ottawa. 

Roswell  Goodell,  from  Connecticut,  in  1834,  set- 
tled near  Buffalo  Rock,  and  died  there  in  1837. 
His  daughter,  Emma,  married  Alson  Woodruff. 
Eaton  was  Deputy  Sheriff,  under  Woodruff,  and 
Sheriff  from  1851  to  1853.  He  married  a  daughter 
of  Gov.  Matteson,  removed  to  Joliet,  then  to  Spring- 
field, and  is  now  in  Chicago.  Edward,  Andrew, 
Adaline,  Henry,  and  Maria,  all  died  single.  Althea 
married  Col.  Irwin. 

Dr.  Harmon  Hurlburt  and  wife,  from  Vergennes, 
Vermont,  in  1834;  was  a  physician  of  large  practice, 
in  Ottawa,  for  several  years  ;  he  died  June  8th,  1845. 
His  widow  is  living  at  Montpelier,  Vermont. 

Henry  Hurlburt,  brother  of  Dr.  Harmon,  came 
from  Vermont  at  the  same  time  ;  married  Olive 
Tichener  ;  was  Sheriff  of  this  county  from  1846  tc 
1850  ;  is  now  living  in  Joliet. 

Philip  R.   Bennett,  from  Fall  River,  Massachu- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  237 

setts,  here,  in  1848 ;  partner  with  Jacobs  &  Brush  ; 
went  to  Ogle  County,  1840,  and  died  in  1873. 

Lorenzo  Leland,  from  Grafton,  Mass.,  to  Peoria, 
November,  1834,  and  to  Ottawa,  July,  1835  ;  a  law- 
yer by  profession.  He  served  as  Clerk  of  La  Salle 
Circuit  Court  from  1842  to  1849,  and  as  Clerk  of  the 
Northern  Division  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court 
from  1848  to  1867,  an  able  and  popular  officer.  Mr. 
Leland' s  present  wife  is  Flora  Prescott,  the  widow 
Thompson  when  he  married  her.  The  children 
are  Cyrus  A.,  who  married  Nellie  Thomson,  and 
Lorenzo,  Jr. ,  who  constitute  a  law  firm  in  Eldorado, 
Kansas.     Marcia  is  at  home. 

Milton  H.  Swift,  from  New  Preston,  Connecticut, 
came  to  Ottawa  in  1838.  By  profession  a  lawyer,  but 
has  devoted  his  life  mostly  to  financial  pursuits; 
has  for  several  years  been  President  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Ottawa ;  has  been  Mayor  of  the  city 
of  Ottawa.  He  married  Susan  W.  Miles  ;  has  had 
three  children  ;  two  accomplished  daughters,  Sarah 
and  Helen,  died  at  the  opening  of  life ;  one  son, 
Edward,  survives. 

Dr.  Peter  Schermerhorn,  from  Schodac  Landing, 
on  the  Hudson,  New  York,  and  wife,  Sarah  Ryder, 
from  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  came  to  Hlinois  in  1832, 
located  at  Chanahan,  Will  County,  in  1834,  and 
brought  his  family  in  1837.  Was  a  practicing  phy- 
sician and  leading  man  in  that  thriving  settlement ; 
he  removed  to  Ottawa  in  1841,  where  he  practiced 
his  profession  successfully  till  his  death  in  1848. 
His  widow  survives  him,  living  with  their  daughter 
Anna,  the  wife  of  Charles  Hook.  They  have  one 
son,  Edward. 


238  History  of  La  Salle  County, 

Christopher  Champlin,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
moved  to  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  in  1820 ;  came 
to  Ottawa  in  1835 ;  moved  his  wife,  Betsey  Lee, 
and  family,  in  1836.  He  was  a  deacon  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  a  radical  abolitionist,  and  most 
worthy  man.  He  died  in  1862 ;  his  widow  died 
in  1875.  Their  children  were:  John  C,  who 
married  Miss  Kennedy,  practiced  law  in  Ottawa, 
was  County  Judge,  and  was  killed  by  the  cars  when 
crossing  the  track  in  1873 ;  Elizabeth,  married 
Isaiah  Strawn,  and  lives  in  Ottawa ;  Caroline,  mar- 
ried Howard  Chester,  second,  Chester  Morton,  third, 
R.  W.  Griswold  ;  Sarah,  married  Thomas  Bassnett ; 
Cordelia,  married  Joel  W.  Armstrong,  of  Deer 
Park  ;  Mary  C,  married  Cyrus  B.  Lewis,  of  Mar- 
seilles ;  Bertha  A. ,  married  William  Glover  ;  Fanny, 
married  Alvin  Ford,  of  Chicago. 

Otis  0.  Wakefield,  from  Jefferson  County,  New 
York,  September,  1839  ;  first  at  Marseilles,  then  on 
S.  E.  ^  S.  20,  town  of  Fall  River,  now  living  in 
Ottawa.  First  wife,  Maria  Cummings  ;  second,  Jane 
Cone.     One  daughter,  Adda. 

Henry  Green  and  wife,  from  Cheshire  County, 
New  Hampshire,  1833 ;  first  to  South  Ottawa,  then 
to  East  Ottawa  in  the  spring  of  1834.  The  first 
settler  in  East  Ottawa,  and  built  the  first  house  on 
the  east  side  of  Fox  river.  He  patented  a  mowing 
machine,  the  first  in  this  locality.  He  was  County 
Commissioner  in  1839-40  ;  died  in  June,  1860.  His 
children  are :  Charles  Henry,  who  married  Jane 
Loyd,  and  settled  on  S.  3  in  Farm  Ridge  ;  William, 
now  in  Kansas ;  Mary  P.  ;  Martha  E.  and  her 
mother  are  in  Kansas. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  239 


Benjamin  Thompson  and  wife,  Margaret  Lindley, 
from  Massachusetts,  came  in  1834  ;  a  merchant,  and 
partner  of  W.  H.  W.  Ciishman  ;  he  died  in  Massa- 
chusetts in  1846.  His  widow  and  two  children  went 
to  California  ;  she  married  there,  and  returned  and 
died  in  Illinois. 

William  H.  W.  Cushman,  from  Middleborough, 
Massachusetts,  1834  ;  merchant,  miller,  banker,  capi- 
talist, and  manufacturer.  Wielding  a  large  capital, 
he  has  filled  a  prominent  place  in  the  business  of 
Ottawa  and  the  county  at  large.  He  was  twice 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  He  raised  the 
Fifty-third  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was 
commissioned  its  Colonel.  His  first  wife  was 
Athalia  A.  Leonard  ;  she  died  in  1835.  In  1837  he 
married  Harriet  Gfridley,  of  Ottawa,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Ralph  Gridley  ;  she  died  in  1841.  -In  1843  he 
married  Anna  C.  Rodney,  daughter  of  Cfesar  A. 
Rodney,  of  Delaware.  His  children  are  :  Wm.  H., 
who  married  Miss  Douglass  (they  are  now  living  in 
Colorado) ;  George  is  in  California ;  and  several 
younger  children  at  home. 

Rev.  Ralph  W.  Gridley,  from  Middleborough, 
Massachusetts,  in  1834  ;  died  February  2d,  1840 ; 
his  wife  died  January  19th,  1841.  His  children 
were :  Harriet,  married  W.  H.  W.  Cushman  ;  Samuel 
B.,  of  Ottawa. 

Samuel  B.  Gridley,  son  of  the  Rev.  Ralph  Grid- 
ley,  was  a  merchant  for  many  years,  a  partner  of 
W.  H.  W.  Cushman,  and  for  the  last  few  years  of 
his  life  superintendent  of  the  Ottawa  Gas  Works ; 
he  died  in  1876.     He  married  Miss  Stone,  daughter 


240  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


of  Dr.    Stone,    from  Vermont,    and  left   one  son, 
Ralph,  now  in  Chicago. 

Madison  E.  HoUister,  from  Cayuga  County,  New- 
York,  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  and  settled  perma- 
nently in  Ottawa,  with  his  wife,  Delia  A.  Tichener, 
in  1 836.  His  j^outh  was  spent  on  a  farm.  He  had  a 
taste  for  military  life,  and  held  a  Colonel's  commis- 
sion in  the  New  York  Militia.  But  his  life  has  been 
mostly  devoted  to  the  profession  of  law.  He  was 
Postmaster  at  Ottawa  under  Van  Buren's  adminis- 
tration, resigning  after  the  election  of  Harrison.  He 
was  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  two  terms,  and  Presi- 
dential Elector  in  1848,  voting  for  Lewis  Cass,  but 
left  the  Democratic  party  in  1854,  and  has  since 
acted  with  the  Eepublican  party.  In  1855  he  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Ninth  Judicial  Circuit  for  a 
term  of  six  j^ears,  was  re-elected  in  1861,  and  re- 
signed in  1866  to  accept  the  office  of  Consul  at 
Buenos  Ayres.  Was  recalled  in  1869,  and  returned 
to  the  practice  of  law  in  Ottawa,  with  Messrs. 
Glover  and  Cook.  In  1871  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment of  Associate  Justice  of  the  Territory  of  Idaho. 
A  short  time  before  the  term  expired,  he  received 
the  appointment  of  Chief  Justice  of  the  Territory, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  Judge  Hollister  has 
only  one  living  child,  Edward,  who  is  unmarried, 
and  lives  with  his  parents. 

Judge  Hollister  has  furnished  some  reminiscences 
of  the  early  times  in  Ottawa,  from  which  one  or  two 
extracts  are  inserted,  showing  the  state  of  society 
and  public  feeling  at  that  time.  "The  Democracy 
of  the  earlj^  time,  and  particularly  during  the  con- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  2'41 

striiction  of  the  canal,  were  of  a  peculiar  type,  and 
during  seasons  of  political  strife,  were  apt  to  become 
somewhat  fiery  and  fierce.  It  happened  that  while 
I  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  a  con- 
vention of  the  party  was  held  in  the  court  house, 
and  the  struggle  became  intensely  bitter  between  the 
friends  of  the  several  candidates,  for  at  that  time  a 
Democratic  nomination  was  equivalent  to  an  election. 
Charles  Hay  ward,  a  bold,  uncompromising,  but 
honest  partisan,  was  the  champion  on  one  side,  and 
Simon  P.  Sliope,  a  hot  headed,  passionate  man,  took 
sides  against  him.  After  exhausting  their  arguments 
they  came  to  blows.  I  was  an  earnest  sympathizer 
with  Hayward,  while  others  of  the  poorer,  if  not 
the  baser  sort,  were  equally  zealous  for  Shope,  and 
the  partisans  of  each,  as  many  as  could,  were 
mounted  on  a  table  and  vociferously  cheering  on 
their  champions.  When  it  came  to  blows,  however, 
I  thought  it  time  to  magnify  my  office,  and  accord- 
ingly ordered  the  belligerents  to  keep  the  peace. 
No  sooner  had  I  done  this,  than  I  was  dealt  a  blow 
on  the  back  of  the  neck  by  some  one  behind  me, 
when  T  found  myself  on  the  floor,  some  feet  from  the 
table,  a  conquered  and  meek  oflQcial,  and  convinced 
that  a  Democratic  (convention  was  not  a  proper  field 
in  which  to  exercise  official  authority. 

'•When  I  was  holding  the  office  of  Postmaster, 
it  was  considered  as  rank  treason  to  the  party,  to 
harbor  or  countenance  in  any  way,  an  abolitionist. 
As  was  well  known  in  those  days,  my  house  was 
understood  to  be  a  minister's  tavern.  I  always 
opened  my  doors  to  men  of  the  cloth.     It  happened 


242  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cross,  a  noted  abolition  lecturer, 
put  up  at  my  house  one  night,  which  fact  became 
known  through  the  town,  a  crime  not  to  be  tolerated 
in  a  Democratic  official.  A  meeting  was  called  at 
the  old  Mansion  House,  and  I  was  invited  to  attend; 
a  series  of  questions  had  been  prepared  which  I  was 
required  to  answer,  but  the  chairman,  Ward  B. 
Burnett,  finding  they  very  seriously  interfered  with 
the  rights  of  hospitality,  very  adroitly  managed  to 
give  them  the  go-by,  and  the  meeting  adjourned. 
The  next  morning  I  met  Dodge,  who  had  represented 
us  in  the  Legislature,  and  who  had  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  proceedings,  when  I  quietly  told  him 
that  had  they  attempted,  as  they  had  proposed,  to 
eject  Mr.  Cross  from  my  house  by  force,  they  would 
have  had  to  settle  a  little  preliminary  matter  with 
me  before  they  reached  my  guest.  He  apologized, 
and  the  matter  dropped." 

Of  his  personal  habits.  Judge  Hollister  says  : 
"I  have  not  used  tobacco  in  any  form,  or  indulged 
in  strong  drink  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  was 
never  addicted  to  the  latter.  In  1839,  m3^self  and 
wife  became  members  of  the  Congregational  Church 
and  still  retain  our  connection  with  it.  I  believe 
there  are  but  three  of  the  original  members  remain- 
ing, viz..  Deacon  H.  W.  Gridley,  myself  and  wife." 

Thomas  Basnett,  from  England,  came  herein  1835  ; 
kept  a  drug  store  ;  his  first  wife  was  Matilda  Bu- 
chanan :  his  second  was  Sarah  Champlin.  He  now 
lives  in  Florida ;  has  one  daughter,  Elizabeth,  now 
living  in  Michigan.  Mary,  sister  of  Thomas,  mar- 
ried James  Lafferty. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  245 


Benjamin  Thurston,  from  Boston  to  Pottsville' 
Pennsylvania,  and  from  there  here,  in  1834  ;  settled 
near  Buffalo  Rock.  He  died  about  1839.  His  widow, 
Sarah  Robinson,  married  Martin  Reynolds.  They 
had  four  children.  Mary  married  a  Mr.  Howard  •, 
Susan  married  Bradford  Eels;  William  married 
Miss  Young,  now  of  Champaign,  Hlinois  ;  Priscilla 
married  D.  Snediker,  of  Yankton. 

Eri  L.  Waterman,  from  Oneida  County,  New 
York,  came  to  Ottawa  in  1836.  He  married  Jane 
Burgett ;  was  Sheriff"  of  La  Salle  County  from  1858 
to  1860,  and  from  1860  to  1862,  and  United  States 
Assessor  in  1862.  He  has  ten  children.  Emily  mar- 
ried Lathrop  Perkins,  of  Ottawa  ;  George  is  in  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  Pekin  &  Southwestern  Rail- 
road ;  Fred,  is  in  Streator  ;  Rebecca,  James,  Mary, 
Adda,  and  Ida  (twin  sisters),  EfSe  and  Fanny,  ara 
at  home. 

Isaac  Burgett  and  wife,  Lydia  Fellows,  from  New 
York,  settled  near  Buffalo  Rock,  in  1835  ;  resided 
here  a  few  years  ;  had  three  sons ;  Mandeville  went 
to  Missouri ;  Rodolphus  and  Orville  went  to  Wis- 
consin. 

Three  sisters,  Misses  Burgett,  nieces  of  Isaac,  came 
about  the  same  time.  Rebecca  married  Lorenzo 
Leland;  Betsey  was  Alson  Woodruff's  second 
wife ;  Jane  married  E.  L.  Waterman. 

Joel  Strawn,  from  Perry  County  to  Sandusky, 
Ohio,  and  to  Illinois  on  an  exploring  tour  in  1822, 
and  settled  on  S.  18,  T.  33,  R.  3,  in  1834.  His  first 
wife  was  Sarah  Tannihill.  Her  children  were: 
Isaiah,  who  married   Jane  Nice,  and  for  his  second 


244:  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


wife,  Elizabeth  Champlin  ;  he  lives  in  Ottawa  ;  Jemi- 
ma is  in  Ohio  ;  she  never  came  to  Illinois  ;  James 
married  Hop}"  Eels,  and  is  in  Missouri ;  Sarah  Ann 
married  William  E.  Armstrong  ;  they  are  both  de- 
ceased. Joel  Strawn's  second  wife  was  LydiaChal- 
fant  ;  she  has  two  sons ;  Robert  married  Elizabeth 
Ann  Rhoades,  in  Ottawa ;  Abner  married  Eliza 
Hardy,  daughter  of  Nathan  Hardy,  from  Vermont, 
in  1850.  Abner  lives  on  the  old  homestead — a  large 
farmer,  and  breeder  of  improved  stock. 

Nathan  Eels,  from  Franklin  County,  Massachu- 
setts; came  to  Beardstown  in  1822.  Mr.  Eels  died 
soon  after.  The  widow,  Hopy  Peterson,  and  family, 
came  to  La  Salle  County  in  1834,  and  made  a  claim 
on  the  Illinois  Bottom,  below  Buffalo  Rock,  and 
bought  their  land  at  the  sale  in  1835.  Of  their  chil- 
dren, Nathan  died  single,  in  1849  ;  Hopy  married 
James  Strawn,  and  is  living  in  Ottawa ;  Bradford  Y. 
married  Susan  Thurston,  and  died  in  1847;  Varanus 
married  Elizabeth  Dresser,  and  died  in  California, 
in  1874;  Hubbard  married  Harriet  Uhler;  his  second 
wife  was  Lucy  Bennett;  they  are  living  in  Colorado; 
Adoniram  J.  married  Fanny  Bridges;  Jonathan  died 
single ;  Lydia  married  J.  Gr.  Stone,  for  many  years 
a  resident  of  Ottawa,  now  in  Chicago;  Franklin 
married  Jane  Buckley,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Perry sville,  Kentucky. 

John  A.  Sliuler  and  wife,  Eliza  Sides,  came  from 
Dauphin  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1836  ;  tailor  by 
trade,  carried  on  a  large  business  in  Ottawa  for 
about  thirty  3^ears  ;  now  retired.  His  children  are  : 
JohnN.,  who  married  Mary  Bener,  lives  in  Ottawa  ; 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottaioa.  245 

Henry  A.,  married  Anna  Mitchell,  in  Ottawa  ;  Mary 
E.,  married  John  A.  Snelling,  of  Nebraska  ;  Rebecca 
J.,  married  John  N.  Brady,  in  Chicago ;  Josephine 
married  John  V.  Snack,  of  Chicago. 

Abner  S.  Fisher,  born  in  Vermont,  came  from 
Rochester,  New  York,  to  Ottawa  in  1840,  with  his 
wife,  Lovina  Smith.  Mr.  Fisher  has  been  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  politician,  and  has  been  a  magis- 
trate for  many  consecutive  years.  He  has  five  child- 
ren :  George  S.,  who  married  Martha  Mann,  was  a 
banker  in  Ottawa,  and  Consul  to  Japan,  now  in 
Washington  City;  Janet,  the  wife  of  G.  L.  Thomson, 
of  Ottawa  ;  Susan,  married  Perry  H.  Smith  ;  Charles, 
married  S.  Porter,  of  Michigan  ;  Helen  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Hobart,  of  Ottawa. 

Chester  B.  Hall  came  from  Canada  in  1832,  settled 
in  Ottawa  in  1834.  He  married  Jemima  Hess  ;  his 
second  wife  was  Mary  Foster  ;  he  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  ;  he  lived  in  Ottawa  twenty-two  years  ;  is  now 
living  in  the  town  of  Adams. 

Joseph  0.  Glover,  from  Oswego,  New  York,  in 
1835  ;  held  the  ofiice  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840,  and  with  B.  C.  Cook, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Glover  &  Cook,  constituted 
one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  the  county  for 
twenty-five  years  ;  in  1869  he  was  appointed  U.  S. 
Attorney  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois  and 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
married  Janette  Hart,  and  has  three  children :  Julia, 
wife  of  George  C.  Campbell ;  Henry  S.  and  Otis  R. 
at  home. 

Burton  C.  Cook,  from  Monroe  County,  New  York, 


246  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

arrived  in  Ottawa,  July  21,  1835  ;  was  absent  one 
year  completing  his  education,  and  came  back  in 
1837  ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840.  There  was 
a  class  of  four  admitted  at  that  time :  B.  C.  Cook, 
Joseph  O.  Glover,  Joseph  True  who  died  soon 
after,  and  John  M.  Carothers,  afterward  a  partner 
of  T.  L.  Dickey  and  for  many  years  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of   Kendall  County  ;  he  died  about 

1860.  Mr  Cook  was  elected  States'  Attorney  for 
the  9th  Judicial  Circuit  in  1846 ;  the  circuit  em- 
braced the  counties  of  La  Salle,  Grundy,  Kendall, 
Kane,  De  Kalb,  Ogle,  Bureau,  Putnam,  Stark, 
Peoria,  and  Marshall ;  after  two  years'  service  he 
was  again  elected  for  four  years ;  in  1852,  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  and  re-elected  in 
1856  ;  he  was  a  member  of  the  peace  conference  in 

1861,  and  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1864-66-68 
and  1870,  and  resigned  in  1871,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  Solicitor  for  the  Chicago  &  North-Western 
Railway  Company,  and  has  resided  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Cook  married  Elizabeth  Hart,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Onis  Hart,  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. ;  he  has  one  daughter, 
Nellie,  who  married  C.  H.  Lawrence. 

Jerry  and  Frank  Church,  brothers,  came  from 
New  York  about  1831  or '32;  they  made  a  claim 
near  Ottawa,  and  after  a  brief  absence  finding  it 
floated,  they  left  in  disgust.  Jerry  was  an  eccentric 
genius,  and  published  an  autobiography. 

Jeremiah  Strawn  came  from  Perr}^  County,  Ohio, 
in  1828,  brought  out  his  family  in  1830,  and  settled 
in  Putnam  County.  In  1858  removed  to  Ottawa, 
where  he  still  resides.     He  served  as  Quartermaster 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  247 


in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  On  January  7tli,  1845, 
his  house  was  robbed  by  the  noted  Birch  and  others, 
a  part  of  the  gang  called  the  "Bandits  of  the 
Prairies."  His  wife,  Hannah  Beaucher,  died  18 — . 
His  children  are  :  Eli  (see  below) ;  David  (see  South 
Ottawa) ;  Isaiah,  at  home  ;  Eliza,  married  Thomas 
Loyd,  she  died  1859 ;  Matilda,  married  Walter 
Co  wen,  both  are  dead ;  Phebe,  married  S.  W. 
Cheever,  now  deceased ;  Mary,  died  single  ;  Henry 
C,  married  Mary  E.  Powell,  and  lives  in  Ottawa; 
Zilpa, married  Moses  Osman,  and  is  living  in  Ottawa ; 
Susan,  married  Thomas  Denfc,  and  resides  in  Chi- 
cago. 

Eli  Strawn,  son  of  Jeremiah,  came  from  Ohio  with 
his  father' s  family  in  1830 ;  he  married  Eleanor 
Broadus,  of  Putnam  (now  Marshall)  County,  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia.  He  located,  July,  1838,  on  a  farm 
on  S.  6,  three  miles  northwest  of  Ottawa.  His  wife 
died  January,  1861.  In  March,  1864,  Mr.  Strawn 
married  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Dean,  of  La  Salle,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Hartshorn.  In  1869  he  sold  his 
farm  and  removed  to  Buckley,  in  Iroquois  County, 
where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Strawn  is  noted  for  his 
integrity  and  active  business  habits.  He  held  the 
office  of  Town  Supervisor  for  five  consecutive  years. 
Mr.  Strawn  has  seven  children.  His  eldest  son, 
Christopher  C,  completed  his  education  at  the 
Northwestern  University  and  Albany  Law  School, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  served  as  a  volunteer  in 
the  war,  and,  after  several  trials,  is  successfully 
practicing  his  profession  at  Pontiac,  Illinois.  He 
married  Clarie  F.  Bouvarier,  of  Chicago.     Franklin 


2i8  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

resides  in  Massachusetts ;  Martha  married  George 
D.  Cook,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  W.  A.  Barrv,  of 
Chicago;  Nancy  married  Samuel  H.  Thompson,  of 
Lacon  ;  Henry  L.  married  Clara  Ball,  and  lives  at 
Buckley  ;  Douglass  is  at  home. 

John  Loyd  and  wife  came  from  Ohio  to  Putnam 
County  in  1831,  and  to  Ottawa  in  1856 ;  they  both 
died  several  years  since.  Their  children  are: 
Thomas,  married  Louisa  Strawn,  and  lives  in  Kan- 
gas  ;  Mary  Ann,  married  a  Mr.  Horham,  and  died  in 
Colorado  ;  Sarah,  is  the  widow  of  David  Strawn ; 
Jane,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  H.  Green,  of  Farm 
Ridge ;  Abram,  lives  near  Morris ;  Marion,  is  in 
Michigan  ;  Washington,  married  Miss  Eichelberger, 
and  lives  at  Wenona. 

T.  Lyle  Dickey  was  born  in  Kentucky  October 
11th,  1811,  graduated  at  Miami  University  in  1831, 
taught  school  three  years,  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
fall  of  1834  (first  to  Macomb  County),  read  law  with 
Cyrus  Walker,  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1835, 
located  at  Rushville  in  1836,  and  in  the  fall  of  1839 
came  to  Ottawa,  and,  till  1848,  followed  a  circuit 
practice,  going  to  each  county  in  the  circuit.  In 
1846  he  raised  a  company  of  infantry,  which  was 
part  of  Colonel  Hardin's  regiment  in  the  Mexican 
war.  After  six  months'  service,  he  resigned  on 
account  of  sickness.  He  was  elected  Circuit  Judge 
in  1818,  the  circuit  being  composed  of  twelve  coun- 
ties, which  office  he  resigned  in  1852.  In  1854  he 
opened  a  law  office  in  Chicago.  Judge  Dickey 
states  that  in  the  speculation  previous  to  1837,  and 
in  the  revulsion  then,  he  became  bankrupt  for  sev- 


SketcJi  of  Settlers  —  Ottaioa.  249 


eral  thousand  dollars,  and  remained  so  for  twenty- 
one  years  ;  that  he  opened  the  law  office  in  Chicago 
to  enable  him  to  pay  off  his  old  debts,  in  which 
he  succeeded,  paying  both  principal  and  interest, 
some  of  it  at  twelve  per  cent,  for  the  twenty -one 
years.  In  1841  he  inherited  one-third  of  an  estate 
of  negro  slaves  worth  $15,000,  which  he  refused  to 
use  or  sell,  but  gave  the  slaves  their  freedom.  He 
opened  an  office  in  Ottawa  in  connection  with  Gen- 
eral Wallace  and  his  son  Cyrus  E.  Dickey,  where  he 
practiced  till  1861,  when  he  raised  and  commanded 
the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Cavalry.  Was  one  year 
Chief  of  Cavalry  on  General  Grant' s  staff.  He  was 
in  the  army  two  years  :  from  1861  to  1863.  In  1867, 
with  General  Hurlbut  and  the  Governor,  he  was  a 
commissioner  to  urge  upon  Congress  the  building  of 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Ship  Canal.  In  1866  was 
the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congressman  at  large, 
and  ran  against  John  A.  Logan,  the  latter  being 
elected.  From  1868  to  1870  he  was  United  States 
Assistant  Adjutant  General ;  practiced  law  for 
three  years ;  then  moved  to  Chicago,  and  was  Cor- 
poration Counsel  till  elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  December,  1875. 

Judge  Dickey  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Julia  Evans ;  his  second  Mrs.  B.  C.  Hirst, 
of  Maryland.  He  has  four  children  living,  all  by 
his  first  wife :  Martha,  widow  of  Gen.  W,  H.  L. 
Wallace,  is  living  in  Ottawa ;  John  J.  married 
Carrie  Honey,  of  Wisconsin :  he  is  telegraph  sup- 
erintendent at  Omaha ;  Charles  H.  married  Anna 
Alexander,    of    the    Sandwich   Islands,    daughter 

17 


250  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

of  an  early  missionary :  he  is  a  merchant  at 
^laui  Island,  Huikn,  Sandwich  Islands;  Y.  Belle 
married  C.  H.  Wallace,  brother  of  General  Wal- 
lace :  he  is  also  a  merchant  in  the  island  of  Huiku. 
Judge  Dickey's  oldest  son,  Cyrus  E,,  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Cross  Roads,  Red  river,  at  the  time 
of  Banks'  defeat.  He  was  Assistant  Adjutant 
General,  with  the  rank  of  Captain. 

George  H.  Norris,  from  Orange  County,  New 
York,  arrived  in  Ottawa  May  20th,  1835;  first  in 
South  Ottawa,  then  to  Ottawa  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  j'ear.  His  wife  was  Lydia  M.  Hoxie  ;  his 
children  are  :  Fanny  E.,  wife  of  Bwight  R.  Cameron, 
of  Chicago  ;  George  F.,  in  Montana  ;  Hart  A.  and 
Frederick  E.,  Spring  Garden,  Florida;  Isabella  M., 
with  her  parents  in  Chicago  and  Florida.  He  en- 
gaged first  in  survejang,  and  owned  the  ferry  a 
short  time.  Was  Countj^  Survej^or  for  about  ten 
years :  Justice  of  the  Peace  ;  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1839  ;  established  the  Bank  of  Ottawa,  in  com- 
pany with  George  S.  Fisher,  and  sold  to  Fisher  ; 
while  surve3-or,  laid  out  10,000  lots  in  La  Salle 
County;  dealt  in  real  estate;  helped  to  build  the 
starch  factory,  and  lost  heavily  by  it ;  was  attorney 
for  the  Rock  Island  Railroad,  getting  the  right  of 
way  ;  served  one  term  as  representative  in  the  Leg- 
islature of  Colorado  ;  and  is  now  raising  oranges  at 
Spring  Garden,  Florida. 

Charles  Campbell,  from  New  York,  about  the 
year  1835.  His  children  are  :  C.  C.  Campbell,  of  Ot- 
tawa ;  George  C,  lor  some  time  a  member  of  the 
law   firm  of    Glover,    Cook   &   Campbell,   married 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  251 

Julia,  daughter  of  J.  O.  Glover,  and  is  now  a  prom- 
inent lawyer  in  Chicago ;  Elizabeth,  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  H.  B.  Fellows,  of  Chicago. 

David  Sanger,  from  Massachusetts  to  Ohio,  to 
near  Lockport,  Illinois,  in  1836,  and  to  Ottawa  in 
1888.  He  was  contractor  lor  building  the  canal 
acqueduct  across  the  Fox  river  at  Ottawa,  under  the 
firm  of  D.  Sanger  &  Sons.  He  died  in  1851  ;  his 
widow  died  in  18o4.  His  children  were  :  Lorenzo 
P.  ;  Dr.  W.  A. ;  J.  Y. ;  Lucien  P.,  who  has  resided 
at  Ottawa  and  Joliet,  is  now  in  Utah ;  and  two 
daughters :  Louisa  ;  Harriet,  married  Dr.  Henriks, 
of  Indiana,  both  deceased. 

William  H.  L,  Wallace,  son  of  John  Wallace,  of 
Deer  Park,  moved  with  his  father  from  Deer  Park 
to  Ogle  County,  in  1838,  attended  school  at  the 
Rock  River  Seminary,  studied  and  practiced  law  in 
Ottawa,  served  through  the  Mexican  war,  was  Prose- 
cuting Attorney  from  1852  to  1856.  In  1861,  he 
raised  the  11th  regiment  of  infantry  for  three 
months,  and  also  for  three  years.  He  was  made 
Brigadier  General,  and  mortally  wounded  at  the 
head  of  his  command  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
and  died  two  days  after,  on  the  8th  of  April,  1862, 
with  the  rank  of  Major  General.  His  widow,  is 
Martha,  oldest  daughter  of  Judge  T.  L.  Dickey,  and 
lives  on  the  north  bluff  at  Ottawa. 

Lyman  D.  Cavarly,  from  New  York,  lived  in 
Ottawa  twenty  years,  and  returned  to  Connecticut. 
His  son  William  married  Julianna,  a  daughter  of 
Judge  A.  W.  Cavarly.  He  died  several  years  since. 
Mrs.    Cavarly   died  in  1874,  leaving  one  daughter, 


252  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Fanny,    now    living    with     the   widow    of    Judge 
Cavarly. 

Alfred  W.  Cavarly,  a  native  of  East  Lyme,  Con- 
necticut, came  to  Illinois  in  1822,  first  settled  in 
Edwardsville,  and  subsequently  at  Carrollton,  Green 
County  ;  was  a  member  of  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature  several  terms,  and  County  Judge  one 
term,  also  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  revise  the 
statutes  in  1845  ;  in  1853  he  moved  to  Ottawa,  and 
practiced  law  for  several  years.  He  died  in  1876, 
aged  83.  Only  one  lawyer  in  practice  when  he  came 
to  the  State  survives  him. 

Judge  Cavarly  had  two  sons,  Alfred  and  Henry, 
beside  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Wm.  Cavarly.  Alfred 
died  young. 

His  widow,  Sarah  Ann  Whitcraft,  of  Annapolis, 
Maryland,  is  still  living  in  Ottawa. 

Stephen  Bushnell,  and  wife,  Vincy  Tuttle,  from 
Saybrook,  Connecticut,  to  Madison  County,  New 
York,  and  from  there  to  Kendall  County,  Hlinois, 
in  1837.  They  raised  ten  children.  He  died  in  1869, 
aged  91.     His  wife  died  in  1854,  aged  78. 

Washington  Bushnell,  son  of  the  foregoing,  came 
to  Illinois  with  his  father  in  1837,  graduated  at  the 
State  and  National  Law  School  in  Poughkeepsie, 
New  York,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New 
York  in  1853,  and  came  to  Ottawa  the  same  year. 
Practiced  law  two  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Bushnell  &  Gray  two  years,  and  has  since 
had  a  large  law  practice  in  addition  to  his  official 
service. 

He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1860,  and 


Slietch  of  Settlers  —  Ottawa.  253 


re-elected  in  1864  ;  was  elected  Attorney  General  of 
the  State  in  1868  for  four  years  ;  was  City  Attorney 
three  years,  and  Prosecuting  Attorney  four  years. 
Mr.  Bushnell  married  Phebe  M.  Charles,  and  has 
five  children.  Vincy,  at  home  ;  Theron  D.  Brewster, 
at  the  military  school  in  Chicago  ;  Julietta,  Susan, 
and  Sylvia,  at  home. 

Wm.  True,  from  Salisbury,  Mass.,  and  wife, 
Rebecca  Mariner,  from  Cape  Elizabeth,  Maine,  came 
to  Ottawa  in  1835  ;  was  a  merchant,  and  for  many 
years  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He 
died  April  6th,  1850.  Mrs.  True  died  March  11th, 
1864.  Their  children  were  :  Joseph,  who  died  in 
1840  ;  Angeline,  died  young  ;  Wm.  M.,  who  married 
Mary  Matteson,  was  banker  and  insurance  officer, 
now  dead.  Geo.  M.,  married  Eliza  Stevenson,  and 
moved  to  the  town  of  Waltham,  in  1858  ;  has  been 
School  Treasurer  since  1868,  and  Supervisor  five 
years,  and  is  a  successful  farmer. 

G.  L.  Thompson,  came  to  Peoria  in  1887,  and  to 
Ottawa  in  1840.  He  married  Janet  Fisher  ;  kept  a 
drug  store  for  several  years.  He  has  seven  children : 
Edward;  Abner  F.;  Lovina,  married  Chas.  Vane; 
Louise,  Mary,  Ella,  and  Matty,  are  at  home. 

Wm.  Osman,  from  Dauphin  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania;  his  wife  was  Mary  Hine,  of  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania  ;  has  three  children,  Eaton  Goodell, 
Mary  E.,  Wm.  H.,  all  at  home.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Ottawa  Free  Trader  since  1840,  and 
its  principal  editor  and  manager  ;  is  now  the  oldest 
editor  in  the  county. 

John  S.  Mitchel,  born  in  Penn  Yan,  New  York, 


254  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


came  to  Indiana  in  1814,  and  to  La  Salle  County  in 
1832  ;  lie  married  Inger  Nelson,  in  1836.  Keeps  a 
livery  stable.  He  lias  five  children.  Amanda, 
Warren  N.,  Louisa,  Arthur  J.,  and  Harly  B. 

John  Hise,  from  Pennsylvania,  to  Ottawa,  in  1839. 
He  married  Lucy  S.  Cotton  ;  he  was  connected  with 
the  Free  Trader  as  editor  and  publisher,  and  followed 
farming  for  several  years,  and  is  now  living  in 
Chicago.  He  was  Supervisor  and  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  both  La  Salle  and  Cook  Counties. 

John  Dean  Caton,  from  Monroe,  Orange  Count3^ 
New  York,  came  to  Chicago  in  1833,  and  to  La  Salle 
County  in  1842.  His  wife  was  Laura  Adelaide 
Sherrell,  of  Utica,  New  York.  They  have  three 
children:  Carrie,  now  Mrs.  Norman  Williams,  of 
Chicago  ;  Arthur  ;  and  Laura. 

Judge  Caton  was  nearly  the  first  lawyer  in 
Chicago.  He  was  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the 
circuit  embracing  La  Salle  County,  and  subse- 
quently one  of  the  Supreme  Judges  and  Chief 
Justice  of  the  State.  He  has  been  largely  connected 
with  the  telegraph  interests,  and  has  accumulated  a 
large  fortune. 

Wm.  E.  Bell,  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,  and  from 
Ohio  to  Ottawa  in  1836,  worked  for  Lovell  Kimball 
at  Marseilles.  Married  Elmira  Headly  ;  has  three 
children  :  Armina,is  now  the  wife  of  James  Hossack  ; 
Wm.  S.,  at  school;  Frank  E.,  at  home.  Mr.  Bell 
is  the  author  of  a  standard  work   on  Carpentry. 

W^m.  E.  Armstrong,  son  of  Elsa  Armstrong,  came 
from  Ohio  with  his  mother  in  1831.  He  married 
Sarah  Ann  Strawn,  daughter  of  Joel  Strawn.     He 


SkeicJi  of  Seithrs  —  South  Ottcma.  255 


was  for  some  time  captain  of  a  steamboat  running 
from  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Illinois  river  to 
St.  Louis.     He  and  his  wife  died  several  years  since. 


SOUTH  OTTAWA. 

The  town  of  South  Ottawa  embraces  that  part  of 
T.  33,  R.  3,  which  lies  south  of  the  Illinois  river, 
being  about  half  the  township.  Except  a  narrow 
strip  of  bottom-land  along  the  Illinois  river,  it  is 
on  the  bluff,  and  the  village  which  constitutes  one 
ward  of  the  city  of  Ottawa,  looks  down  upon 
that  part  of  the  city  which  lies  in  the  valley. 

The  view  is  a  very  line  and  commanding  one.  It 
was  settled  before  North  Ottawa,  and  the  fort  built 
for  protection  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  was  just 
east  of  where  the  road  going  south  cuts  the 
bluff.  The  timber  land  which  skirts  the  bluff  of 
the  Illinois  river  and  along  Covell  creek,  which 
runs  northwesterly  through  the  town,  covers  a 
large  proportion  of  its  surface. 

A  peculiar  feature,  is  the  existence  of  a  fountain 
of  water  which  lies  a  few  feet  below  the  surface 
between  the  Illinois  river  and  Covell  creek  ;  there  is 
a  bed  of  coarse  gravel  several  feet  in  thickness, 
which  contains  a  fountain  of  pure  water.  It  sup- 
plies North  Ottawa  by  pipes  running  nnder  the 
river,  and  the  fountain  is  inexhaustible.  The  town 
is  favorably  located,  and  will  be  as  valuable  as  any 
portion  of  the  county. 

Enos  Pembroke,  from  New  York,  came  to  Alton 


256  Hi  star  II  of  La  ShUe  County. 


in  1818,  and  from  there  to  Ottawa,  Ma}^  1st,  18-25, 
and  settled  on  S.  16,  T.  33,  R.  3  ;  he  died  in  1832, 
his  widow  surviving  him.  She  kept  a  hotel  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluff ;  was  a  Methodist,  and  Stephen  R. 
Begg  saj'S,  a  leading  sister  in  the  church.  She  died 
in  1862. 

Their  children  were :  David,  married  Mar}^ 
Rejmolds,  lived  in  Fall  River  from  1844  to  1870, 
now  lives  in  Macoupin  County,  has  11  children ; 
Ursula,  married  Wm.  Kessler,  lived  in  South 
Ottawa ;  Richard,  died  one  year  ago  ;  Enos,  mar- 
ried Miss  Chew  ;  Calvin,  married  Mary  Gorbit, 
lived  at  Tiskilwa ;  Jeremiah,  married  Rachel 
Sprague,  second  wife  Rosa  Densmore  ;  Mary  Ann, 
married  Horace  Sprague,  and  died  soon  after. 

Josiah  E.  Shaw,  from  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  came 
here  in  1827.  He  married  Rosanna  Test ;  he  was  a 
step-son  of  Enos  Pembroke  ;  he  died  in  1875.  His 
children  are  one  son  and  two  daughters. 

Reuben  Reed,  from  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
1822  ;  stopped  in  Kentucky  two  years,  then  removed 
to' Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  his  wife  died,  leaving  six 
children.  He  married  a  Miss  Hibbard,  and  soon 
after  with  the  Hibbard  family,  fifteen  persons  in  all, 
moved  to  Illinois  in  1827,  stayed  in  Chicago  tAvo 
months,  then  moved  to  Ottawa,  and  wintered  in  the 
cabin  with  Col.  Sayers  in  South  Ottawa.  Leased 
the  widow  Pembroke's  farm  in  1828,  and  made  a 
claim  on  S.  17,  T.  33,  R.  4,  where  Wm.  Moore  now 
lives.  A  Mr.  Hibbard,  brother  of  Mrs.  Reed,  came 
from  St.  Louis,  who  seemed  to  be  the  evil  genius  of 
the  family.     He  caused  the  separation  of  Mr.  Reed 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  South  (Maioa.  257 


and  his  wife,  and  broke  up  the  family.  His  son 
Darius  was  bound  out  to  James  Galloway  ;  his  son 
Ansel,  to  Moses  Booth,  and  his  daughter  Emeline, 
then  a  mere  child,  to  Lewis  Bayley.  Reuben  Reed 
abandoned  his  claim  and  it  was  taken  by  a  Mr. 
Town.  Darius  Reed,  who  served  an  apprenticeship 
with  Jas.  Galloway,  when  he  arrived  at  man's  estate 
made  a  farm  on  S.  31,  T.  84,  R.  5,  on  which  he  has 
resided  for  many  years,  a  wealthy  and  respected 
citizen,  now  temporarily  residing  in  Kansas. 

Henry  Hibbard  made  a  claim  on  S.  5,  T.  33,  R.  4, 
and  sold  to  Disner,  and  he  to  McKernans  in  1831, 
and  they  sold  to  Ebersol  in  1834. 

Eleazar  Hibbard,  who  married  a  daughter  of 
Reuben  Reed,  made  a  claim  on  S.  32,  T.  33,  R.  4, 
where  B.  B.  Reynolds  now  lives.  He  also  separated 
I'rom  his  wife,  and  the  Hibbard  family  moved  to 
Sand  Prairie,  near  Hennepin.  All  the  Hibbard 
men  separated  from  their  wives,  and  all  the  Hibbard 
women  from  their  husbands,  it  is  claimed  from  the 
influence  of  the  brother  from  St.  Louis ;  in  the 
words  of  Darius  Reed,  "  they  were  always  in  com- 
motion and  trouble,  casting  up  mire  and  dirt,  and 
never  found  rest  but  in  the  grave."  All  the  Hib- 
bards  but  one  died  soon  after  they  left  the  county. 

Charles  Brown  and  wife,  Abigail  Hogaboom,  came 
from  Ulster  County,  New  York,  and  arrived  here 
November  3()th,  1830  ;  bought  a  claim  of  James  Mc- 
Kernan,  on  S.  32,  T.  33,  R.  3,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  a  good  citizen  and  honest  man  ; 
he  died  in  May,  1874  ;  his  wife  died  in  November, 
1874.     Their  children  were :    William,  who  married 


258  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Betsey  Ellsworth,  died  in  1869.  aged  forty- nine, 
leaving  six  children  :  Louisa,  niarried_Calvin  Eells, 
now  deceased;  Clarinda,  married  a  Mr.  Mills, is  now  a 
widow,  in  California;  Russel,  married  Snsan  Hopple, 
and  lives  on  S.  33,  T.  33,  R.  3  ;  Ann,  married  P.  C. 
Watts  :  Jane,  married  Frank  Libbey,  and  is  now  a 
widow,  with  three  daughters  and  two  sons;  Edward, 
lives  on  the  old  homestead;  Cordelia,  married  Lyman 
Cadwell.  and  lives  in  Vermillion  County, 

John  Hogaboom  married  Miss  Hopkins,  and  came 
from  Ulster  County,  New  York,  here,  in  the  fall  of 
1830  ;  settled  on  S.33.  T.33,  R.3.  After  his  wife  died 
he  married  widow  Brooks  ;  had  fourteen  children. 
Of  those  living,  Adelia  married  Nathan  T.  Carr,  lives 
in  Brookfield.  and  has  seven  children  ;  Emilv  mar- 
ried  Morgan  Marion,  in  Iowa;  Mary  married  Frank 
Ocean,  and  lives  in  Iowa  ;  George  and  Loring  live 
on  the  old  farm  ;  Edgar  married  Miss  Wade,  and 
lives  in  Ottawa;  Charlotte  married  a  Mr,  Robins,  and 
lives  in  Nebraska  ;  Frances  married  Henrj^  Gilbert, 
and  lives  in  Iroquois  County. 

Richard  Hogaboom,  brother  of  the  above,  from  the 
same  place,  in  1830,  married  Phebe  Farnsworth,  and 
settled  on  S.  32;  removed  to  Green  Bay,  in  1837.  and 
now  lives  in  Nebraska.  Has  four  children :  Eliza, 
married  D.  C.  Mills,  and  lives  in  Farm  Ridge  ;  Cor- 
nelia, married  Joseph  D.  Lewis  ;  Harriet,  married  a 
Mr.  Robinson,  both  in  Nebraska;  William,  lives 
with  his  parents. 

Abel  Hogaboom.  brother  of  John  and  Richard, 
came  from  the  same  place,  and  settled  on  S.  6,  T. 
3*2.  R.  3.     He  married  Charlotte  Jones,  and  after  her 


SketcTi  of  Settlers  —  So  nth  Ottaioa.  25& 


death,  he  married  the  widow  Horn,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Grnber ;  is  now  living  in  Nebraska,  and  has 
seven  children,  one  son,  Frank,  living  on  the  old 
homestead.  Mary,  married  to  Robert  Crane,  in 
South  Ottawa  ;  Hannah,  Eliza,  Susan,  and  Luella  at 
the  old  home  ;  Abbey  and  Lucy  with  their  parents. 

Richard  Hogaboom  and  wife,  Hannah,  parents  of 
the  foregoing  brothers,  came  from  Ulster  County, 
ISTew  York,  in  1880.  He  died  in  1845,  aged  83  ;  his 
widow  died  in  1857,  aged  84. 

John  McKernan,  from  Kentucky,  settled  on  Covell 
Creek,  in  the  fall  of  1828  ;  lived  there  one  year,  and 
then  went  to  Brown's  Point,  and  made  a  claim  on 
S.  32,  T.  33,  R.  3  ;  in  1831  sold  the  claim  to  Charles 
Brown,  and  bought  a  claim  of  Disney,  on  S.  5,  T.  33, 
R.  4.  In  1832,  Mr.  McKernan  was  drowned  in  the 
Illinois  river.  In  1834  the  widow  sold  the  claim  to 
Josepli  Ebersol,  and  with  the  family,  removed  to 
S.  22.  T.  31,  R.  4,  at  the  head  of  Otter  creek,  where 
she  died,  in  1872.  Two  sons,  Hugh  and  Patrick,  died 
previously. 

James  Edgecomb  came  from  New  Providence, 
West  Indies,  in  1835,  and  settled  on  Covell  creek, 
west  of  Ottawa,  and  died  soon  after. 

David  Strawn,  son  of  Jeremiah  Strawn,  came  with 
his  father's  family  from  Perry  County,  Ohio,  in 
1830  ;  bought  land  on  S.  35,  in  South  Ottawa,  at  tlie 
sale  in  1835.  He  married  Sarah  Loyd,  of  Ohio,  and 
occupied  his  land  soon  after.  He  was  a  large  farmer, 
and  extensive  raiser  and  dealer  in  stock,  and  one  of 
the  owners  and  builders  of  the  Paducah  Railroad. 
He  died  in  1873,  leaving  seven  children.     Theodosia 


260  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

married  J.  W.  Ebersol,  and  lives  at  Strawn,  Living- 
ston County ;  Susan  married  a  Mr.  Porter,  and  is 
now  deceased ;  Bertha  married  Thomas  Morgan : 
they  live  in  Chicago;  Walter  married  Florence  Parr, 
and  lives  at  Strawn  ;  Clara  married  Mahlon  B.  Lin- 
ton ;  Ella,  Harlan  L.,  and  Cora  Belle,  are  at  home. 

John  Rockwood,  and  wife,  Sally  Green,  a  sister  of 
Henry  Green,  of  Ottawa,  came  from  Cheshire  County, 
New  Hampshire,  in  fall  of  1S34,  and  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 26,  where  he  made  his  home  till  his  death,  about 
1840.  They  had  seven  children  :  Loring  Otis,  lives 
with  his  mother,  now  86  years  of  age,  on  the  old 
farm  ;  John,  married  Sarah  Jane  Lewis,  and  is  living 
in  Gibson ;  William,  married  Maria  Doolittle,  and 
lives  on  Section  10,  Farm  Ridge,  a  large  farmer ; 
Elisha,  married  Deborah  Cox,  and  lives  in  Indiana ; 
Levi,  died  young;  Mary,  married  J.  R.  Dunn. 

Judge  James  Glover,  father  of  J.  0.  Glover,  came 
from  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  in  1833,  and  settled  in  South 
Ottawa  ;  he  had  held  the  position  of  County  Judge 
in  New  York  for  a  considerable  time.  He  died 
about  1849. 

James  Day,  mother  and  sister,  came  from  the  city 
of  New  York  in  1832  ;  the  sister  died,  the  mother 
returned  to  New  York,  and  James  became  insane,  and 
left.  Mr.  Day  laid  out  the  original  town  of  South 
Ottawa.  Their  family  history  is  a  sad  one  ;  they  were 
educated,  refined  and  intelligent  people  ;  Miss  Day 
died  of  calomel  salivation,  the  result  of  the  murder- 
ous medical  practice  of  that  day. 

Henry  Gorbett, ,  from  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  in 
1837,  with  his  wife,  Sally  Robinson,  settled  on  S.  31, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  South  Ottawa.  261 


T.  33,  R.  3.  His  second  wife  was  the  widow  Holland  ; 
he  had  fifteen  children:  Mar}^  married  Calvin 
Pembroke ;  John,  is  in  Texas  ;  Debby  Ann,  mar- 
ried David  Clark ;  Francis  Asbury ;  Mary  Ann, 
married  John  Qnimby  ;  George,  is  dead  ;  Margaret, 
married  James  Wilson;  Peter,  is  in  Pontiac  ;  Sarah, 
married  a  Mr.  Fisk ;  Joseph,  is  in  Pontiac  ;  Ange- 
line.  married  Edward  Smith  ;  Henry  and  Samuel  are 
at  Rooks  Creek. 

William  Thompson,  from  New  York  City  in  1833  ; 
settled  on  S.  32,  T.  33,  R.  3  ;  was  here  seven  or  eight 
years  ;  sold  to  William  Richardson  and  went  to  St. 

Louis. 

Solon  Knapp,  from  New  York  in  1835  ;  died  of 

cholera. 

Jabez  Fitch,  from  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  in  1835  ;  he 
was  a  merchant,  and  County  Treasurer  several  years; 
he  died  in  New  York. 

Ebenezer  Tracy,  from  New  York  in  1831  or  '32  ; 
went  back  to  New  York. 

Thomas  Tracy,  brother  of  the  above,  from  same 
place,  had  a  wife  and  several  children ;  died  in 
Michigan  ;  his  family  have  all  left  the  county. 

Silas  Tracy,  brother  of  Thomas,  came  herein  1831 
or '32;  he  settled  on  Covell  creek,  where  he  died 
many  years  since  ;  his  widow  married  Jesse  A.  Clark 
and  went  to  Madison,  Wis. 

Dr.  Roberts,  from  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1832  ;  died  of  cholera. 

Dr.  Constant  Abbot,  from  New  York,  in  1836  ;  a 
physician ;  went  to  Cincinnati. 

Henry  Matson,  from  Owego,  New  York,  in  1834  ; 
went  to  Texas  ;  died  in  Central  America. 


262  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Silas  Matson,  and  wife,  Lydia  Stanton,  from 
Owec^o,  New  York,  in  1839;  settled  in  South  Ot- 
tawa. Has  four  children :  Charles  Henry,  now  in 
Livingston  County  ;  David,  Jerome  and  Mary,  at 
home. 

Calvin  Eells,  from  Oneida  County,  New  York, 
€ame  to  La  Salle  County  in  1831,  went  West  for  a 
year  or  two,  then  returned  to  New  York,  and  in 
1836  removed  with  his  widowed  mother  to  South 
Ottawa,  and  settled  on  Section  28.  He  married 
Louisa  Brown,  who  died  about  1850.  He  after- 
ward married  S.  A.  Tucker.  His  first  wife's 
children  are :  Frederick,  who  married  Ernestine 
Maines,  lives  in  South  Ottawa;  Charles  B.,  married 
Eliza  Maines  in  Vermillion  County  ;  Nathaniel  is  on 
the  old  farm,  and  Lucienin  Kansas;  Susan  O.  married 
George  H.  Maines,  on  the  old  farm ;  Marcus  is  in 
Farm  Ridge  ;  Isabella,  married  Samuel  Poundstone, 
of  Farm  Ridge.  The  second  wife  has  two  sons: 
Douglass  A.  is  in  Odell ;  Horace  is  with  his  mother, 
near  the  old  place. 

Russell  Kimball  came  at  an  early  day  from  New 
Y^ork.  He  married  Mercy  Hogaboom,  and  settled  on 
Section  28,  sold  to  Calvin  Eells,  kept  a  hotel  in 
South  Ottawa,  afterward  moved  to  Sheboygan. 

Sheldon  Bartholomew  came  from  New  York  with 
Brown  and  Hogaboom,  married  Charlotte  Hogaboom, 
and  settled  on  Section  28;  he  sold  to  Thomas 
Hodgson  ;  died  in  Ogle  County  ;  his  widow  came 
back  to  La  Salle  County,  and  died  a  few  years  after. 

Mr.  Beers  came  from  New  York  at  same  time  with 
Bartholomew ;  he  married  Prudence  Hogaboom,  and 


Slcetch  of  Settlers  —  South  Ottawa.  263 


died  soon  after  ;  his  widow  married  Peter  Minkler, 
who  moved  to  Kane  County  ;  they  are  now  living  at 
Rochelle,  Ogle  County. 

George  B.  Macy,  from  Connecticut,  first  to  Peoria, 
and  to  Ottawa,  1836  ;  he  married  Mary  Jennings, 
who  died  in  1854.  He  died  about  1864.  They  left 
five  children:  Charles,  Eliza,  Mary,  Anna  and  Clara. 

Bartlett  Dennison,  and  wife,  Jane  Lindley,  came 
about  1834.  He  sold  goods,  and  owned  a  saw  mill 
on  Indian  creek  ;  went  to  California,  and  died  there. 

Erastus  Allen,  from  Plattsburg,  New  York,  came 
in  1834  ;  sold  goods  with  Crook  ;  went  to  Galena. 

Robert  Fowler,  and  wife,  Polly  Piatt,  from  Platts- 
burg, New  York,  kept  a  boarding  house  ;  died  here. 

Burnett  Miller,  from  Clinton  County,  New  York, 
went  to  Wisconsin. 

Daniel  Farnsworth,  from  Clinton  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1832  ;  he  died  in  1870.  His  widow  was  fatally 
burned  by  her  clothes  taking  fire.  Children  :  Albert, 
died  in  California  ;  William,  married  Miss  Dix,  he 
died  in  South  Ottawa  ;  Robert  was  killed,  his  widow 
is  in  Texas ;  Elizabeth,  married  S.  Crook ;  Electa  ; 
Phebe,  married  Richard  Hogaboom,  and  was  fatally 
burned  by  a  like  accident  as  that  which  befel  her 
mother. 

Samuel  Tyler,  the  first  wagon  maker  in  Ottawa, 
came  in  1833  ;  moved   to  Wisconsin. 

Piatt  Thorn  and  wife,  Betsey  Piatt,  from  Clinton 
County,  New  York,  a  glove  maker  by  trade  ;  went 
to  Pontiac,  returned,  and  died  here.  His  widow 
and  children  went  to  California. 

Sylvanus  Crook,  from  Clinton  County,  New  York, 


264  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

in  1832,  a  mercliant  and  farmer  ;  he  was  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  several  years,  and  died  July  9,  18Y1. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Farnsworth,  who  survives  him. 
Lucy  married  Albert  Pool,  now  in  Iowa ;  Minnie 
and  Charles  are  at  home. 

John  Parish,  from  Glaso:ow,  Kentucky,  and 
brother,  came  in  1832  ;  one  died,  the  other  went  to 
Rock  River. 

Moses  Booth,  brother-in-law  to  Christopher  Long, 
came  here  in  1827  or  1828,  and  lived  with  Long,  on 
Covell  creek.  His  wife  died,  and  he  married  Miss 
Alvord.  He  went  to  Kendall  County,  lost  a  leg, 
and  died  soon  after. 

Christopher  Pavier  came  here  about  1834,  from 
Yorkshire,  England.  He  had  four  children:  George, 
died  in  Cincinnati ;  Charles,  married  Miss  Cunliff, 
lived  for  several  years  in  South  Ottawa,  and  died  in 
East  Ottawa  ;  two  sisters  live  in  Cincinnati. 

Mrs.  Pavier  was  the  widow  Nancy  Arnold,  and 
had  a  son  and  a  daughter  by  her  first  husband.  Her 
son  George  Arnold  married  Sarah  Russell.  He  ran 
the  ferry  at  Ottawa  for  several  years,  and  is  well 
remembered  by  the  people  from  the  south  side.  He 
is  now  in  Iowa,  near  Dubuque.  Jane  Arnold  mar- 
ried Samuel  W.  Rogers  ;  after  his  death,  she  married 
a  Mr.  Kelley,  and  went  West. 

Samuel  W.  Rogers,  from  Vermont,  came  to  Ottawa 
in  1833  or  1834.  He  kept  a  grocery,  and  owned  the 
ferry  for  several  years.     He  died  in  South  Ottawa. 

James  Ball,  from  Owego,  New  York,  in  1835  ;  he 
married  Cepha  Ball,  and  lives  on  Section  25.  Has 
one  daughter. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  South  Ottawa.  265 

Jesse  A.  Clark,  from  Fort  Covington,  New  York, 
in  1832  ;  kept  tavern  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  made 
the  Clark  claim,  then  went  to  Madison,  Wisconsin, 
and  died  there. 

Justus  M.  Clark,  son  of  Jesse  A.,  took  the  farm 
occupied  by  his  father  in  1835.  He  married  Martha 
Dunn  ;  he  had  kept  school  in  Kentucky  ;  he  was  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  and  died  on  his  farm,  Feb- 
ruary 13th,  1867,  leaving  children.  One  daughter 
married  Walter  Good,  now  of  Marseilles  ;  one  mar- 
ried Henry  Howland  ;  Julius  Clark  is  a  lawyer,  now 
in  Kansas. 

John  Bascom,  from  Connecticut,  in  1831;  his 
mother  and  sister  came  in  1834.  He  kept  a  hotel 
at  the  foot  of  the  bluff.  Bascom  and  his  mother 
died  of  cholera,  the  same  night,  in  June,  1835.  The 
sister  married  a  Mr.  Foster,  of  Earl,  and  died  in 
Wisconsin. 

Abraham  S.  Bergen,  from  Springfield,  Illinois,  in 
1833.  He  was  a  merchant  here  for  eight  or  ten 
years  ;  he  with  his  wife  died  in  Galesburg. 

Benjamin  J.  Moore,  from  Clinton  County,  New 
York,  in  1832  ;  a  land  agent  and  speculator  ;  went  to 
Wisconsin  in  1838  ;  he  had  three  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

Dr.  Smith,  from  Clinton  County,  New  York,  in 
1832,  with  Jesse  A.  Clark ;  he  opened  one  of  the  first 
stores  in  South  Ottawa.  He  had  one  child,  Lucy ; 
she  went  to  Rock  River,  and  died  there. 

Rev.  Mr.  Hazard,  from  Clinton  County,  New  York, 
in  1834  ;  was  a  minister  and  missionary  ;  died  when 
returning  to  Plattsburg. 

18 


266  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

DAYTON. 

Dayton  embraces  that  part  of  T.  34,  R.  4,  which  lies 
west  of  the  Fox  river,  about  fourteen  sections,  and  a 
strip  one  and  a  half  sections  wide,  from  the  east  side 
of  T.  34,  R.3,  being  about  twenty-three  sections  of  the 
whole.  It  formerly  included  the  whole  of  T.  34,11. 8, 
but  the  town  of  Wallace  was  taken  from  its  western 
side,  reducing  it  to  its  present  size.  Indian  creek 
passes  across  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  and 
Crooked  Leg  creek  and  Buck  creek  across  the  north- 
ern part,  furnishing  considerable  timber  to  that  sec- 
tion. These  creeks,  with  the  rapid  descent  of  the 
Fox  river,  give  good  drainage  to  the  whole  town. 

Daj^ton  had  the  first  fiouring  mill  in  the  county, 
and  the  first  woolen  mill  run  b}^  water,  in  the  State. 
At  one  time,  about  1834  and  1835,  it  was  in  advance 
of  Ottawa;  it  had  a  flouring  mill,  doing  a  heavy  busi- 
ness, a  saw  mill,  wagon  shop,  tannery,  and  chair 
shop,  and  stores  doing  a  large  business. 

The  dam  across  the  Fox  river  is  maintained  b}^  the 
State.  It  was  built  to  turn  water  into  the  feeder  for 
the  canal,  and  tlie  Messrs.  Green,  who  were  the  own- 
ers of  tlie  land,  have  what  water  they  want,  without 
any  expense  for  dam  or  race. 

The  Fox  river  branch  of  the  Cliicago,  Burlington 
k  Quincy  Railroad  passes  through  Daj^ton.  The 
flouring  mill  and  woolen  mill  are  both  in  use,  and  a 
paper  mill  has  recently  gone  into  operation  ;  and 
there  is  water  power  for  many  more. 

The  towns  of  Daj^ton  and  Rutland  were  settled 
simultaneously,  and  their  earlj^  settlement  so  con- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Dayton.  267 


nectecl  that  it  is  difficult  to  fully,  separate  tlieir 
history.  They  are  separated  by  Fox  river,  and  be- 
tween them  lies  the  rapids  of  that  stream,  furnish- 
ing an  excellent  water  power  and  from  where  "the 
feeder  for  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  is  taken. 

The  first  settler  here  was  William  Clark,  said  to  be 
a  South  Carolinian,  but  last  from  Fort  Clark,  now 
Peoria,  in  the  spring  of  1829.  He  built  his  cabin  on 
the  N.  E.  I  S.  24  ;  sold  his  claim,  in  September,  1829, 
to  John  Green,  and  went  to  Du  Page  County. 

John  Green,  who  purchased  Clark's  claim  and 
improvement,  in  company  with  William  Green, 
Joseph  Grove  and  William  Lambert,  left  Newark, 
Ohio,  on  the  27th  day  of  August,  1829,  on  a  tour  of 
exploration  of  the  Northwest.  They  traveled  on 
horseback  by  the  way  of  Fort  Wayne,  Kalamazoo, 
Michigan,  and  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan, to  Chicago.  They  found  but  few  settlers,  and 
frequently  had  to  sleep  on  the  ground  with  the  sky 
for  a  covering. 

In  September,  they  reached  Walker's  (now  Hol- 
derman's)  Grove,  and  the  Fox  river,  where  Millington 
now  is,  following  it  down  to  the  cabin  of  Clark.  He 
showed  them  the  rapids  of  the  Fox,  and  told  them 
it  was  the  best  mill  privilege  in  America.  As  such 
a  privilege  was  what  Mr.  Green  was  seeking,  he 
purchased  Clark's  claim  and  determined  to  locate 
here.  They  found  a  corps  of  engineers  surveying 
the  canal  feeder,  and  passed  on  to  Ottawa,  where  they 
found  one  cabin  near  where  the  Ottawa  House  now 
is,  occupied  by  James  Walker,  and  one  cabin  on  the 
south  belonging  to  Dr.  David  Walker.     They  went 


2G8  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

on  to  Bailey's  Point,  where  they  found  Lewis  Bailey 
and  William  Seeley.  They  explored  the  country 
as  far  south  as  Yandalia,  then  the  capital  of  the 
State,  when  he  purchased  eighty  acres  for  liis  mill 
site,  at  Dayton,  and  returned  to  Ohio,  arriving  on 
the  15th  of  October,  and  immediately  prepared  to 
emigrate  to  Illinois. 

NARRATIVE   BY   JESSE   AND   DAVID   GREEN. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  1829,  the  following  named  persons  left 
Newark,  Licking  County,  Ohio,  for  what  is  now  La  Salle  County^ 
Illinois  :  John  Green,  David  Grove,  Henry  Brumback,  and  Reason 
Debolt,  with  their  families,  and  the  following  named  young  men  : 
Samuel  Grove,  Joseph  Grove,  Jacob  Kite,  Alexander  McKee,  and 
Harvey  Shaver.  Their  outfit  was  one  four-yoke  ox  team,  three 
two-horse  wagons,  and  one  carriage.  Found  the  roads  passable 
till  we  got  into  Indiana,  where  we  lay  by  three  days  for  bad 
weather.  The  streams  were  high,  but  we  were  bound  for  the  West, 
and  pressed  forward.  Found  about  forty  teams  weather-bound 
at  Boxby's,  on  the  Whitewater,  where  we  were  told  it  would  be 
impossible  to  proceed  unless  we  traveled  on  the  top  of  wagons  and 
teams  already  swamped.  From  there  we  cut  our  way  through 
heavy  timber  for  sixty  miles,  averaging  about  ten  miles  per  day. 
One  of  the  party,  with  a  child  in  his  arms,  was  thrown  from  the 
carriage,  breaking  three  of  his  ribs,  and  the  carriage  wheel  passed 
over  the  child  without  injuring  it.  The  wounded  man-pursued  the 
journey,  never  complaining  ;  so  readily  did  those  hardy  pioneers 
adapt  themselves  to  circumstances,  and  heroically  face  the  in- 
evitable. The  streams  were  so  high  we  had  to  head  them,  or,  as 
the  saying  is,  go  around  them. 

We  traveled  five  days  by  the  compass,  when  we  arrived  at 
Parish's  Grove,  Iroquois  County,  Illinois.  From  there  we  followed 
an  Indian  trail  to  Hubbard's  trading  post,  on  the  Iroquois  river. 
Here  we  bought  all  the  corn  we  could  get— about  eight  bushels— 
and  a  perogue,  or  canoe.  Loading  it  with  about  thirty  hundred 
weight  of  our  goods,  we  put  Jacob  Kite,  Joseph  Grove,  and 
Samuel  Grove,  on  for  a  crew,  with  directions  to  work  down  the 
Iroquois  to  the  Kankakee,  and  through  that  to  the  Illinois,  where 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Dayton.  269 


they  were  to  meet  the  teams.  This  was  necessary,  as  our  teams 
were  worn,  feed  scarce,  and  roads  very  bad,  or,  rather,  none  at  all. 
On  the  trip,  Joseph  Grove  became  so  chilled  that  he  contracted  a 
disease  from  which  he  never  fully  recovered. 

Our  teams  crossed  a  prairie  which  had  no  bottom— at  least,  we 
did  not  find  any.  The  second  day,  found  a  stream  too  deep  to 
cross ;  felled  trees  from  either  side  till  they  formed  a  temporary 
bridge,  over  which  we  conveyed  our  goods  and  people,  which  was 
barely  accomplished  when  the  accumulated  waters  swept  our 
bridge  away.  The  teams  were  made  to  swim,  one  horse  barely 
escaping  drowning.  One  of  the  women  became  nervous,  and 
could  not  be  induced  to  walk  the  bridge.  John  Green  took  her  on 
his  back,  and  made  his  way  over  on  his  hands  and  knees.  The 
exact  position  in  which  the  lady  rode  is  not  recorded. 

A  heavy  rain  came  on,  and  we  encamped  in  a  small  grove,  and 
were  obliged  to  cut  up  some  of  our  boxes  to  make  a  fire.  That 
night  we  shall  never  forget ;  most  of  us  sat  up  all  night.  Mother 
laid  down  in  the  wagon,  and  tried  to  sleep,  and  was  frozen  fast 
so  she  could  not  rise  in  the  morning.  It  took  us  over  three  days  to 
reach  the  mouth  of  the  Kankakee,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  while 
the  perogue  had  to  go  seventy  miles  by  water.  The  crew  had  about 
given  up  in  despair  of  meeting  us,  when  they  fortunately  heard  a 
well-known  voice  calling  to  a  favorite  horse,  by  which  they  were 
directed  to  our  camp.  We  ferried  most  of  our  goods  over  the 
Illinois  on  the  perogue,  when  a  friendly  Indian  showed  us  a  ford 
where  we  took  our  teams  over  without  difficulty.  Our  corn  being 
exhausted,  our  teams  had  nothing  to  eat  but  browse,  or  dry  prairie 
grass,  and  very  little  of  that,  as  the  prairie  had  nearly  all  been 
burned  over.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  December,  we  came 
in  sight  of  a  grove  of  timber,  and  John  Green,  believing  it  to  be 
Hawley's  (now  Holderman's)  Grove,  started  on  horseback  to  ascer- 
tain. His  expectations  were  realized,  and  he  found  Messrs.  Haw- 
ley  and  Baresford  butchering  a  beef.  He  harnessed  Baresford's 
horse,  a  large  gray  one,  to  a  light  wagon  of  Baresford's,  and  taking 
a  quarter  of  the  beef,  and  filling  the  wagon  with  corn,  started  for 
Nettle  creek  timber,  where  he  supposed  the  party  would  stop. 

The  company  had  ordered  a  halt  and  prepared  to  encamp,  but 
with  the  expectation  of  going  supperless  to  bed  as  their  provisions 
were  exhausted,  when  Mr.  Green  drove  up,  to  the  great  joy  ot  the 
whole  party,  both  man  and  beast.    From  the  time  the  corn  gave 


27(1  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


out  and  the  provisions  were  running  sliort,  one  young  man  refused  to 
eat,  contending  that  as  they  were  bound  to  starve,  the  provisions 
should  be  reserved  for  the  women  and  children. 

The  next  day,  being  the  6th  of  December,  1829,  about  four  o'clock 
p.  M.  we  reached  our  destination — except  the  three  young  men  in 
charge  of  the  perogue,  whom  we  expected  would  reach  here  before 
US;  and  when  night  came  on  we  were  all  cast  down  with  fearful 
forebodings,  as  we  thought  they  must  have  met  with  some  serious 
accident.  But  our  anxiety  was  soon  relieved.  On  the  same  day  they 
had  made  the  perogue  fast  at  the  grand  rapids  of  the  Illinois,  now 
Marseilles,  and  crossing  the  prairie  without  any  knowledge  of  the 
countrj',  became  benighted,  but  seeing  the  light  from  our  cabin, 
joined  us  about  eight  o'clock,  and  we  had  a  great  time  of  rejoicing, 
the  lost  having  been  found.  The  self-sacrificing  brother  joined 
us  in  a  hearty  meal,  and  his  appetite  never  failed  him  afterward. 

Our  next  object  was  to  secure  some  provisions,  as  we  had  a  large 
family  and  go)d  appetites.  We  bought  twenty-four  hogs  of  Markly, 
on  the  Desplaines;  then  went  south  to  Tazewell  county,  bought 
thirty  bushels  wheat  at  four  shillings,  eighty  bushels  corn  at  two 
shillings,  and  took  it  to  a  horse  mill  where  Washington  now  is;  spent 
several  days  in  putting  the  mill  in  order,  having  to  dress  the  boulder 
mill  stones,  and  furnish  the  motive  power.  Provisions  were  scarce 
before  we  had  produced  a  crop;  we  frequently  lived  on  beef,  potatoes 
and  pound  cake,  so  called,  being  made  of  corn  pounded  in  a  mortar. 

We  went  to  work  improving  in  the  spring,  and  by  July  4th  we 
had  240  acres  fenced,  and  nearly  all  broken,  and  had  built  a  saw 
mill,  dam  and  race,  and  had  a  run  of  boulder  mill  stones  in  one 
corner  of  the  saw  mill  grinding  wheat,  the  first  ground  on  Fox 
river.  The  stones  were  made  from  boulders  or  hard  heads,  found 
here,  by  Christopher  Payne,  brother  of  the  Dunkard  preacher  who 
was  killed  by  Indians  on  the  prairie  between  Holderman's  Grove  and 
Marseilles,  in  1832. 

Of  the  company  of  twenty-four  that  came  out  in 
the  fall  of  1829,  two  returned  to  Oliio  ;  of  the  twenty- 
two  who  remained,  only  seven  died  in  forty- one 
years. 

John  Green,  and  wife,  Barbara  Grove,  came  from 
Licking  County,    Ohio,   in   the  fall   of  1829.      He 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Dayton.  Til 

bjouglit  the  irons  for  a  saw  and  grist  mill  by  team 
overland,  and  millwrights  to  put  them  up.  Mr. 
Green  lived  on  the  claim  bought  of  Clark,  in  Rut- 
land, until  1832,  when  he  removed  to  Dayton.  He 
built  a  saw  mill  and  put  in  a  run  of  stone  in  1830, 
and  a  flouring  mill  in  1832,  He  was  County  Com- 
missioner, and  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the 
business  and  early  history  of  the  county  ;  he  died 
December  ITth,  1874,  aged  84  ;  his  widow  is  still 
living,  85  years  of  age.  He  had  nine  children : 
Eliza,  married  William  L.  Dunnavan,  and  lives  in 
Rutland ;  Nancy,  married  Albert  Dunnavan,  and 
lives  in  Rutland  ;  Jesse,  married  Isabella  Trumbo  ; 
he  served  three  terms  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
was  three  years  Town  Supervisor  ;  in  1849  he  led  a 
company  of  forty-nine  men  to  the  then  El  Dorado, 
California.  David,  married  Mary  Stadden  ;  served 
as  Town  Supervisor  several  terms  ;  in  company  with 
his  brother  Jesse  he  has  run  the  large  woolen  fac- 
tory at  Dayton — the  first  one  run  by  water  in  the 
State.  It  was  built  in  1840,  and  enlarged  in  1864. 
Joseph,  died  in  1855  ;  Catharine,  married  George  M. 
Dunnavan,  of  Dayton ;  Isaac,  born  in  Illinois,  mar- 
ried Rebecca  J.  Trumbo,  and  lives  on  the  old  farm  ; 
Rachel,  married  George  Gibson  ;  Rebecca,  married 
Oliver  W.  Trumbo. 

Jacob  Kite,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  with 
Green's  company,  in  the  fall  of  1829.  He  never 
married.  A  sort  of  Nimrod,  he  lived  by  hunting, 
and  went  West. 

William  Stadden,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Hoadley, 
from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  May,  1830,  settled 


272  History  of  La  Salle  Counti/. 

on  S.  33,  T.  34,  R.  4  ;  sold  to  Joiiatlian  Daniels,  and 
moved  to  Dayton  in  1S31  ;  built  a  flouring  mill ; 
was  twice  elected  SherUBf  of  La  Salle  County,  and 
twice  to  the  State  Senate.  He  was  a  prominent  and 
useful  citizen,  and  died  in  1S4S.  Children :  Jona- 
than, married  Elizabeth  Long,  in  Rutland  ;  Mary, 
married  David  G-reen  ;  William  ;  Elizabeth,  married 
Horace  B.  George  ;  Richard,  married  Sallie  Sevant. 

James  McFadden,  from  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1831. 
Kept  store  in  Daj^ton,  where  the  woolen  mill  now 
is ;  it  was  swept  off  by  high  water  in  the  following 
spring.  He  was  captain  of  a  company  of  Home 
Guards,  raised  in  the  count}^  during  the  Black 
Hawk  war  ;  was  shot  through  the  ankle  by  Indians 
on  Lidian  creek  in  1832  ;  he  went  to  Galena. 

George  M.  Dunnavan,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
in  1830,  with  David  Letts,  who  settled  on  Section  8 
in  town  of  Eden.  Mr.  Dunnavan  remained  at  Cedar 
Point,  as  it  was  then  called,  till  1835,  when  he 
settled  on  S.  7,  T.  34,  R.  4,  on  Buck  creek  timber. 
He  married  Catharine  Green,  daughter  of  John 
Green.  There  are  ten  children  :  Silas  L.,  is  in  Mon- 
tana ;  Louisa  Jane,  married  D.  S.  Green,  and  resides 
at  Central  Cit}",  Colorado  ;  Emma,  married  Andrew 
Brown,  and  lives  in  Ottawa  ;  Lucien  G.,  is  at  Cen- 
tral City,  Colorado;  Frank  W.,  Mary  E.,  Charles, 
Belle,  Cora,  and  Edward,  are  at  home. 

Thomas  Parr,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in 
1834;  he  married  Sarah  Ann  Pitzer,  and  settled  on 
S.  1.  T.  34,  R.  3.  Thev  have  six  children  :  Jesse  N., 
married  Anna  Cain,  and  lives  in  Kansas ;  Amanda 
E.,  married    JSToah   Brunk,    and   lives  in   Da3'ton ; 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Rutland.  273 


Joseph  B.,  married  Sarah  Knickerbocker  in  Man- 
lius;  Francis  N.,  married  Julia  Curry,  of  Serena; 
Martha  A.,  married  Lyman  Cole,  of  Iowa;  William 
H.,  married  Mary  Ruger,  and  lives  in  Dayton. 

Nathan  Proctor  bought  the  store  and  goods  of 
David  Letts,  in  the  spring  of  1836  ;  he  had  a  very 
interesting  family,  and  was  himself  a  genial,  able 
and  popular  man,  and  did  a  prosperous  business  for 
about  one  year,  and  was  noted  for  his  honorable  and 
upright  business  habits.  On  his  way  to  St.  Louis 
to  purchase  goods,  he  was  detected  in  passing  coun- 
terfeit money.  He  avoided  arrest,  but  never  re- 
turned. He  was  found  to  be  a  member  of  the 
notorious  band  that  then  infested  the  country  from 
the  Illinois  to  Wisconsin,  called  the  Bandits  of  the 
Prairies,  who  were  horse  thieves,  counterfeiters, 
robbers,  burglars,  and  murderers.  Dies,  and  plates 
for  counterfeiting,  were  found  in  his  store,  and 
years  after,  when  the  building  was  torn  down,  a 
copperplate  engraving  was  found  behind  the  plas- 
tering. If  his  former  or  subsequent  history  should 
be  written,  it  is  probable  the  name  of  Nathan  Proc- 
tor would  not  appear. 


RUTLAND. 

The  town  of  Rutland  embraces  the  east  part  of 
Townships  33  and  34,  of  Range  4,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  Illinois  river,  west  and  north 
by  the  Fox,  and  east  by  the  east  line  of  Range  4. 
Its  location  is  an  enviable  one,  having  the  Grand 


274  History  of  L(i  Salh  County. 

Ra])icls  of  tlie  Illinois  on  the  sontli,  Marseilles  in  its 
sftutlieast  corner,  Ottawa  at  its  southwest.  The 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and  Rock  Island  «fe 
Pacific  R.  R.  pass  through  its  southern  border, 
while  its  western  and  northern  line  is  washed  by 
the  Fox,  with  its  rapids  and  heavy  water  power— 
a  combination  of  natural  resources  that  must 
insure  a  future  of  which  we  can  form  no  con- 
ception. It  is  useless  to  speculate  as  to  the  time. 
This  region  of  country  is  only  just  in  its  infancy, 
and  the  womb  of  time  is  pregnant  with  startling 
events  to  be  developed  in  the  distant  future.  When 
the  Lowells  and  Birmingliams  of  the  East  shall  be 
duplicated  along  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  and  the 
Fox,  the  towns  of  Rutland,  Manlius,  Fall  River, 
Dayton  and  Ottawa,  will  constitute  one  grand  me- 
tropolitan city  of  busy  industry  and  commerce. 

It  is  true,  the  sanguine  anticipations  of  the  early 
settlers  have  not  been  realized  in  this  direction  ;  but 
the  development  of  such  resources  requires  time  and 
capital.  The  almost  unlimited  amount  of  power  now 
running  to  waste,  the  cheap  and  inexhaustible 
amount  of  fuel  close  at  hand,  the  exhaustless  supply 
of  rich  ores,  which  the  world  elsewhere  can  not  rival, 
rfady  to  be  floated  over  the  bosom  of  the  lakes,  and 
through  our  ship  canal,  without  transhipment,  with 
the  mountains  of  ores  in  Missouri,  all  in  regions 
destitute  of  fuel,  and  which  must  seek  the  locality 
where  that  element  exists — are  facts  that  no  sophistry 
can  belittle,  or  argument  gainsay,  but  that  stand  in 
bold  relief,  as  inexorable  as  fate.  Add  to  this  the 
capacity  of   thp  richest   agricultural    region  in  the 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  R  utla  iid.  277 


woiid.  for  the  production  of  cheap  and  abundant 
food,  and  the  picture  needs  no  further  embellish- 
ment. 

But  the  farmers  of  Rutland  have  no  cause  to  re- 
pine at  their  lot  as  tillers  of  the  soil.  Their  soil  has 
no  superior  among  their  sister  towns.  The  town  is 
well  supplied  with  timber,  and  they  have  a  market 
close  at  hand;  and  the  old  denizens  who  have  spent 
fifty  years  in  improving  and  embellishing  their 
homes,  would  doubtless  hesitate  to  exchange  their 
fruit  orchards,  waving  fields  of  grain,  and  sleek  herds 
and  tiocks,  for  the  smoke  of  the  furnace  and  the 
clack  of  the  mill. 

Rutland  was  one  of  the  earliest  settled  towns  in 

the  county. 

The  first  settler  in  Rutland  was  Wm.  A.  Clark, 
from  South  Carolina ;  he  settled  on  theN.  E.  i  S.  22, 
T.  34.  R.  4,  in  the  spring  of  1829  ;  sold  to  John  Green, 
and  moved  to  near  Naperville. 

David  Grove,  and  wife,  Anna  Howser,  from  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio,  in  1829  ;  one  of  Green' s  party  ; 
aided  John  Green  for  a  year  or  more,  and  then  settled 
on  S.  22,  T.  34,  R.  4  ;  now  living,  aged  73.  Children 
of  first  wife  :  Samuel,  who  married  Mary  Parr,  lives 
atUtica,  and  is  now  Supervisor  of  that  town  ;  George, 
at  liome;  John  died.  Mrs.  Grove  died  in  1849. 
Second  wife, Mary  W.  Robinson.  Her  children  were: 
Katharine,  at  home ;  Anna,  married  a  Mr.  Hoag,  now 
dead ;  Elizabeth,  married  David  Connard,  and  lives 
in  Miller  ;  Isabella,  married  Daniel  Wickwire,  and 
lives  in  Rutland ;  Eliza,  married  W.  H.  Chapman, 
and  lives  at  Freedom. 


278  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Reason  Debolt,  and  wife,  Emma  Grove,  from  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio,  in  1829  ;  one  of  Green's  party  ; 
settled  on  S.  11,  T.  34,  R.  4  ;  in  1833  sold  to  Loring 
Delano,  and  moved  to  the  N.  E.  ^  of  S.  16,  where  he 
now  lives.  Mrs.  Debolt  died  in  1843,  Children: 
Elma,  married  a  Mr.  Hupp,  and  lives  in  Iroquois 
County  ;  Barbara,  married  David  Connard,  and  died 
in  1851;  Lovina,  is  living  in  Ohio  ;  George,  married 
Miss  Sutton,  and  lives  in  Dayton;  Jesse,  died  in  the 
army  ;  Cyrus,  married  Elizabeth  Dunnavan. 

Henry  Brumback,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Pitzer,  from 
Licking. County,  Ohio,  in  1829  ;  settled  on  the  N.  E.  J 
S.  13.  Children :  Lizzie,  born  in  183(> — first  birth 
in  town,  married  Frank  Bruner,  now  a  widow  ;  and 
Rachel. 

Samuel  Grove,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  was 
one  of  Green's  party.  He  returned  to  Ohio,  and 
came  back  to  La  Salle  County  in  1856. 

Joseph  Grove,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in 
1829  ;  one  of  Green's  Company.  He  married  Elma 
Jackson,  and  settled  on  S.  22.  He  died  in  18f)8.  His 
widow  died  in  1872.  Their  children  were  :  Seman- 
tha,  who  married  a  Mr.  Wakefield  ;  John,  is  in 
Iroquois  County ;  Jeremiah,  died  in  the  army  ; 
Jesse,  is  at  home  ;  Lewis,  married  Melinda  Pitzer, 
now  of  Miller ;  Elma,  married  George  Pitzer,  of 
Iroquois  County  ;  David,  is  at  Dayton  ;  Mary,  and 
Clara,  are  at  home. 

William  L.  Dunnavan,  from  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  in  1830,  made  a  claim  southwest  of  Peru  ; 
sold  to  Ish,  and  settled  on  Section  22  in  1831. 
He  was  married  in  the  fall  of  that  year  to  Eliza, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ruiland.  279 

daughter  of  John  G-reen,  by  David  Shaver,  Esq., 
being  the  first  wedding  in  town.  Has  six  children : 
Albert ;  Emma,  married  a  Mr.  Hite  ;  John ;  Eliza- 
beth, married  Cyrus  Debolt ;  Jesse,  married  Maggie 
Burk  ;  James,  at  home. 

Edward  Keys,  from  Indiana,  in  1830  ;  settled  on 
N.  E.  iS.  14,  T.  33,  R.4;  he  first  stopped  with  Chris- 
topher Long,  on  Covell  creek,  while  building  his 
cabin  ;  moved  on  to  his  claim  in  December  ;  he  died 
of  cholera  at  the  land  sale  in  1835.  His  widow  mar- 
ried Alonzo  Walbridge.  (See  Mrs.  Walbridge's 
narrative.)  He  left  three  children:  Elias  H.,  mar- 
ried Dorothy  Hanson  ;  Sarah,  married  William 
Johnson  ;  Emily,  died  single. 

Christopher  Long,  and  wife,  Miss  Booth,  from 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1827,  first  located  on  the 
Drake  farm  in  company  with  Moses  Booth,  his 
brother-in-law,  on  Covell  creek,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1831  settled  on  the  N.  W.  \  S.  13,  T.  33,  R.  4.  He 
died  in  March,  1846,  aged  51  ;  his  wife  died  in  1832  ; 
his  second  wife,  Mar}'-  Alvord,  died  in  Sept.,  1846, 
aged  42.  He  had  five  children  :  Catharine,  married 
Elias  Trumbo,  now  living  in  Rutland  ;  Elizabeth, 
married  Jonathan  Stadden;  Lewis,  married  Miss 
Barbour,  of  Miller;  Jane,  married  a  Mr.  Murphy, 
of  Ottawa  ;  and  William. 

Matthias  Trumbo,  and  wife,  Rebecca  Grove,  came 
from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1880, 
and  settled  on  S.  E.^i  S.  28,  T.  34,  R.  4.  He  died 
October  1,  1875  ;  his  wife  died  May  1,  1873.  He 
had  eight  children  :  John,  died  in  1841  ;  Lavinia, 
married    West   Matlock  ;    Isabella,    married  Jesse 


280  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Green,  of  Da}' ton  ;  Elias,  married  Catharine  Long, 
the  iirst  child  born  in  the  comity  ;  Eliza,  married 
William  Gibson,  and  lives  on  the  old  farm  ;  Barbara, 
married  Joseph  Jackson,  of  Millington  ;  Elizabeth, 
married  Jacob  Strawn,  of  Utica;  Anna,  married 
Lewis  Robinson. 

David  Shaver,  and  wife,  Nancy  Grove,  came  from 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1830  ;  settled 
on  S.  2,  T.  38,  R.  4  ;  was  Overseer  of  the  Poor  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace  several  terms  ;  he  died  Jan.  2, 
1848.  He  had  nine  children  :  Cyrus,  married  Betsey 
Hackett,  and  settled  on  the  S.  E.  ^  S.  4.  Has  four 
children :  Harvey,  married  Sarah  Johnson,  now  in 
Missouri;  David R.,  married  Margaret  Kleiber,  live 
on  Section  3;  Joseph,  married  Janet  NefF,  live 
in  Rutland  ;  Harrison,  died  in  1833,  the  first  natural 
death  in  the  town  ;  Rebecca,  married  John  Snelling, 
of  Freedom ;  Barbara,  married  Joseph  Miller,  of 
Ottawa;  Nancy, married  William  S.  Allen,  in  Gales- 
burg  ;  Catharine, married  John  K.  Spencer. 

William  Parr,  and  wife,  Sally  Trumbo,  from  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio,  came  in  the  fall  of  1830  ;  he  settled 
on  the  S.  E.  J  S.  3,  T.  33,  R.  4.  He  had  five 
children  :  Henry  R.,  married  Elsa  Armstrong,  live  in 
Serena  ;  Samuel,  married  Josephine  Armstrong,  in 
Rutland  ;  Isabella,  married  Orson  Potter ;  John, 
married  Lucy  Milliken ;  Mary,  married  Samuel 
Grove,  of  Utica. 

Samuel  Milliken,  and  wife,  Rebecca  Williams, 
from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  came  to  South  Ottawa 
in  1830,  and  in  the  spring  of  1832  settled  on  the 
S.  E.  i  S.  5,  T.  33,  R.  4  ;  sold  to  M.  E.  Hollister  in 


Slcetcli  of  Sdtlers  —  Rutland.  281 


1836,  and  moved  to  N.  E.  i  S.  10,  where  he  resided 
till  his  death  in  1864.  He  has  seven  children: 
May,  married  Levi  Zeluff  ;  Margaret,  married  John 
Billman,  of  Kansas  ;  Comfort,  married  James  Ste- 
venson, of  Grand  Rapids  ;  Amanda,  married  Edward 
Wightman,  in  Iowa  ;  Jerusha,  married  John  Kelly, 
in  Missouri ;  Samuel,  married  Sarah  Leek  ;  Lucy, 
married  John  Parr,  of  Rutland. 

Goodman  Hargus,  came  from  Norway,  to  New 
York  in  1828  ;  one  that  came  over  in  the  famous 
sloop  ;  he  married  in  New  York  and  settled  in 
Rutland  in  1831.  He  died  in  1850,  leaving  live 
children. 

G.  W.  Howe,  from  New  York  in  1834  ;  settled  on 
N.  E.  i  S.  33,  T.  34,  R.  4  ;  went  to  Rock  Run,  Will 
County,  in  1840,  and  died  there. 

Widow  Barbary  Grove,  mother  of  Joseph,  came  in 
1833.  She  died  at  the  age  of  78.  Her  son,  Elias, 
came  with  her  and  died  single  in  1845  ;  her  daughter 
Elizabeth,  was  the  first  wife  of  N.  Madison  Letts. 

Widow  Anna  Pitzer,  a  sister  of  John  Green,  came 
with  a  large  family  from  Licking  County, Ohio,  in  the 
fall  of  1830,  and  settled  on  N.  E.  i  S.  10,  T.  84,  R.  4. 
A  woman  of  much  business  capacity  and  decision 
of  character.  During  the  Black  Hawk  war,  few 
men  exceeded  her  in  efforts  for  the  protection  of 
the  infant  settlement.  She  was  a  leading  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  died  in  1854. 
Her  children  were:  William,  who  married  Sarah 
Kite,  and  settled  on  the  old  homestead  ;  Anthony, 
married  Margaret  Wagy,  he  died  on  the  way  to 
California  in  1852  ;  James,  married  Elizabeth  Kite, 


19 


282  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

* 

live  in  Kansas  ;  Jesse,  died  in  California ;  Benja- 
min, died  in  the  army ;  Jacob,  married  Sarah  Kite, 
live  in  Kansas  ;  Sarah  Ann,  married  Thomas  Parr, 
of  Dayton  ;  Rachel,  married  Thomas  Baj^ley,  live 
in  Kansas  ;  Elizabeth,  married  Henry  Brumback,  of 
Rutland  ;  Margaret,  is  dead  ;  Catharine,  married  H. 
Ham  an  ;   Alvah,i  is  dead. 

Edward  Sanders,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in 
1831,  settled  on N.  E.  i.  S.  11,  T.  34,  R.  4.  '  He  served 
five  years  in  the  United  States  army  ;  while  stationed 
at  Fort  Dearborn,  he  went  as  a  scout  to  the  Illinois 
and  Fox  rivers  in  1816,  and  what  he  saw  of  the  country 
then,  induced  him  to  make  it  his  home.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade  ;  his  wife  was  Margaret  Wamsley. 

Jacob  Anderson,  from  Xorwaj',  to  Xew  York, 
1825  ;  here,  1834 ;  settled  on  S.  W.  i  S.  13,  T.  34, 
R.  4  ;  went  to  California  and  died  there,  one  of  the 
first  colony. 

Andrew  Dall,  from  Norway,  to  New  York,  1825, 
in  the  sloop  ;  here,  1834  ;  settled  on  S.  W.  \  S.  1,  T. 
34.  R.  4  ;  died  at  Salt  Lake. 

Vital  Vermit,  from  Canada,  1834,  settled  on  X.  E. 
i  S  12,  T.  34,  R.  4.  He  married  Huldah  Walker, 
daughter  of  Dr.  David  AValker,  of  Ottawa.  Kept 
hotel  for  several  years,  at  Yermit's  or  Yermit's 
Point ;  went  to  Indiana.     They  had  four  children. 

Jas.  M.  Philips,  and  wife,  Ann  Gillespie,  from 
Pennsylvania,  1834,  settled  on  S.  E.  J  S.  10,  T.  33, 
R.  4  ;  moved  to  Indian  Creek  1835. 

John  C.  Philips,  from  Pennsylvania,  1834,  settled 
on  S.  W.  i  S.  10,  T.  33,  R.  4  ;  moved  to  ISVwark  1835 

John  Weitsell,  from  Germany,  on  N.  E.  ^  S.  13, 
T.  34,  R.  4. 


Slcetch  of  Settlers  —  Rutland.  283 


Rev.  John  St.  Clair,  and  wife,  from  Kentucky,  on 
S.  E.  I  S.  10,  T.  34,  R.  4. 

Wm.  Anderson,  from  Ohio,  1834,  on  S.  E.  i  S.  3, 
T.  84,  R.  4. 

John  Harrington,  from  New  York,  1884,  on  S.  W. 
1  S.  34,  T.  34,  R.  4  ;  sold  to  J.  F.  Keyes,  and  moved 
to  western  part  of  the  State. 

Solomon  Channel,  and  wife,  Betsey  Wamsley, 
from  Ohio  in  1832,  settled  on  N.  W.  i  S.  12,  T.  33, 
R.  4 ;  sold  to  A.  D.  Biitterfield,  and  returned  to 
Ohio,  came  back  to  Illinois  in  184U,  and  died  1875  ; 
his  wife  died  before  him .  He  has  had  seven  children. 
Joseph,  now  in  Iowa ;  Mary,  married  a  Mr.  Bell  in 
Adams ;  Malvina  ;  Alva,  is  dead ;  Sarah,  John,  and 
Jackson,  are  single. 

A.  D.  Butterfield,  from  Jefferson  County,  New 
York.  He  visited  Cuba,  New  Orleans,  and  other 
places  South,  and  came  to  Marseilles  in  April,  1835. 
Kept  a  hotel  one  year,  then  rented  his  hotel,  and  in 
1836  bought  out  Solomon  Channel,  on  S.  36,  T.  34, 
R.  4,  where  he  still  resides ;  has  held  the 
office  of  Town  Supervisor.  Has  had  three  wives ; 
his  first  was  a  Miss  Edgar,  second  Lucy  Otis,  third 
Sally  A.  Rood.  Has  had  nine  children :  David, 
married  Julia  Young,  lives  on  the  old  farm  ;  P.  A., 
married  Sarah  Drackby,  is  in  Marseilles;  Julia  C, 
married  Wm.  A.  Seers,  of  Odell ;  .Orvill,  at  home  ; 
Leavitt  M.,  married  Ella  Parr,  of  Rutland  ;  Geo.  F., 
married  Mary  Allen,  and  lives  in  Galesburg  :  Chas. 
W.,  Susan  and  Walter,  at  home. 

Ephraim  Shaver,  born  in  Virginia,  came  from  In- 
diana here,  in  1839.     His  wife  was  Mary  E.  Murphin, 


284  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

from  Ohio.  Their  children  are  :  Semantha,  married 
Geo.  Bennett,  of  Waltham  ;  Mary  Lovina,  married  a 
Mr.  Ross,  her  second  husband  Mr.  Turple,  they  live 
in  Chicago  ;  Margaret,  married  Henry  Mandeville,  of 
Kansas  ;  Belle,  married  Henry  Bennett,  of  Deer 
Park;  Dora,  married  Wm.  Munson,  Jr.,  of  Adams; 
Geo.  W.,  married  widow  Wade  ;  Dolcina,  Emma, 
and  Peter,  are  at  home. 

Thomas  Tuttle,  from  Indiana,  in  1836,  settled  on 
S.  11,  T.  33,  R.  4  ;  sold  to  Garver  Gunderson  in  1S39 

Timothy  Corbit,  from  Pennsylvania,  in  1837, 
settled  adjoining  J.  D.  Butterfield. 

Walter  D.  Rood,  from  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  in  July,  1838,  to  Marseilles ;  moved  on  to  the 
Long  farm.  Went  with  Green's  company  in  1849 
to  California,  lived  in  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho, 
and  Montana,  and  returned  to  La  Salle  County  in 
1870.  Married  Amelia  Robinson,  and  settled  on 
S.  16,  T.  33,  R.  5,  in  1872.     Has  one  child,  Olive. 

John  Gibson,  from  Ohio,  came  here  in  1840.  He 
was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  war  of  1812,  from  Pennsjd- 
vania  ;  he  died  in  1869  ;  his  wife  died  in  1860.  Left 
six  children  :  Mart  ha,  married  C.  McKinley  ;  Maria, 
married  Jas.  N.  Frenary,  of  Rutland;  Capt.  Wm. 
L.,  married  Eliza  Trumbo,  of  Rutland  ;  Geo.  W., 
married  Cynthia  Robinson,  of  Rutland;  John  F., 
married  Mary  Jf.  Anderson,  of  Rutland ;  Capt. 
Theodore  C,  married  Susan  S.  Sample,  of  Ottawa. 

Jonathan  Daniels,  and  wife,  Mary  Channel,  from 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1831,  bought  a 
claim  of  Wm.  Stadden,  on  S.  33,  T.  34,  R.  4. 
They  had  two  children  :  Elizabeth,  married  Jost^ph 
Kleiber ;  Judith,  married  Wm.  Stadden. 


Thi3:Breastworlij3  supposeij  toTJe  J200  years  old 
"because  tlie  3Ionn3s  a  sliort  distance  East,  of  it 

on  theJv'orthliauli  of  theHavine  contain 
.  olS-AshesTjut  no  Cliarcoal. 


Tlan^ .'McT^'ally *  Co.,'Bngr'a,ChKago. 


SJceich  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  287 


Joseph  Kleiber,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Daniels,  from 
Licking  County,  Oliio,  in  tlie  fall  of  1831,  settled  on 
S.  32,  T.  34,  H  4.  He  liad  eight  children  :  Melissa, 
married  Henry  Funk  ;  Jonathan,  married  Elizabeth 
Funk;  Mary,  married  Geo.  Hays,  and  afterward 
Henry  (Jurry ;  Margaret,  married  David  Shaver ; 
Aaron,  married  Rosanna  McKernan,  live  in  Allen  ; 
William,  married  Mary  Pierce  ;  Stephen  and  Etta, 
are  on  the  old  farm. 

Aaron  Daniels,  and  wife,  Maria  Sanders,  from 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1831,  settled  on 
S.  33  ;  now  in  Kansas. 

Albert  Dunnavan,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
came  with  Letts  to  Cedar  Point  in  1830  ;  remained 
there  one  year,  then  came  to  Rutland  and  settled  on 
S.  13  ;  in  1831  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  John 
Green,  and  still  lives  on  the  old  farm.  Has  eight 
children  :  Samuel,  married  Miss  Munson ;  David  ; 
Isaac,  is  out  West ;  Joseph  ;  George,  married  Miss 
Rogers  ;  Katharine,  married  Frank  Brandon  ;  Jane, 
married  Aaron  Howe  ;  and  Anna. 


VERMILLION. 

The  town  of  Vermillion  embraces  that  part  of 
T.  32,  R.  2,  lying  southwest  of  the  Vermillion  river. 
It  was  among  the  earliest  settlements  in  the  county. 
It  contains  a  fine  tract  of  timber,  called  Bailey's 
Grove,  through  the  centre  of  which  runs  Bailey's 
creek,  while  to  the  northeast  it  rests  on  the  Vermil- 
lion river.     This  grove  was  doubtless  the  attraction 


288  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

that  induced  the  settlement,  for  here,  as  elsewhere, 
the  first  settlements  were  all  along  the  edge  of  the 
best  timber. 

Lewis  Bailey,  the  first  settler  in  the  town  of  Ver- 
million, came  from  Ohio ;  first  to  Indiana,  and  then 
to  Illinois  in  1825.  He  first  came  to  Ottawa,  but 
located  on  Section  19,  at  the  head  of  Bailej^'s  Grove, 
which  was  called  Bailey's  Point.  His  son  Augustus 
is  claimed  to  have  been  the  first  male  white  child 
born  in  the  county,  while  a  daughter  of  Christopher 
Long  was  the  first.  George  Galloway,  son  of  James 
Galloway,  of  Fall  River,  has  claimed  the  honor  of 
being  born  before  Bailey.  The  fact  seems  to  be 
that  Bailey's  son  was  a  few  days  the  oldest,  but  he 
was  born  at  Peoria,  where  his  parents  had  gone  in 
a  canoe,  in  anticipation  of  the  event,  and  soon  after 
returned,  having  been  absent  from  home  eighteen 
days. 

The  location  selected  b}^  Bailey  was  a  romantic 
one,  and  he  said  it  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  In- 
dians, who  ever  evinced  a  keen  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful.  Mr.  Bailey's  neighbors  at  first  were 
only  Indians.  He  always  expressed  a  high  opinion 
of  his  swarthy  friends,  and  persistentl}'  claimed  that 
they  were  more  honest,  friendly  and  trustworthy 
than  the  whites.  He  was  doubtless  somewhat  mis- 
anthropic. He  with  his  famil}-  left  the  county  in 
1844,  and  died  in  Oregon.  He  had  two  sons :  Au- 
gustus and  Timot]lJ^ 

William  Seelej^  a  native  of  Seneca  County,  New 
York,  came  to  Madison  County.  Illinois,  in  1818, 
and  brought  his  famil}^  in  1820.    He'came  to  Bailey's 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  289 


Grove,  La  Salle  County,  in  the  fall  of  1828,  and 
brought  his  family  in  the  spring  of  1830  ;  he  settled 
on  Section  19,  just  east  of  Bailey's  ;  he  subse- 
quently laid  out  the  town  of  Lowell,  on  the  Vermil- 
lion, and  in  company  with  Charles  Elliott  built  the 
stone  mill  now  standing  ;  he  held  the  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace  several  years ;  was  County  Commis- 
sioner, and  prominent  among  the  early  settlers  ;  he 
died  March,  1857.  His  children  were  :  John,  who 
died  single  ;  William,  married  Belle  Tylee,  they  are 
in  Kansas ;  Randolph,  married  Clarissa  Ellsworth, 
are  in  Nebraska;  Samuel,  married  Hattie  Tylee, 
live  in  Lowell ;  Anna,  married  a  Mr.  Knight,  live  in 
Chicago  ;  Mary,  married  Ebenezer  Burgess,  now  de- 
ceased ;  Eveline  married  Barnum  Newton ;  Sarah, 
married  John  Seeley,  now  dead. 

Mr.  Enos  came  from  Sangamon  County  in  1829  ; 
settled  on  Section  18,  and  sold  his  claim  to  Mr. 
Pate,  who  came  from  the  same  county  in  1830,  and 
he  sold  to  Jacob  Moon  in  1831.  Enos  and  Pate 
were  frontier  men,  and  went  West. 

Jacob  Moon  came  from  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1831, 
and  settled  on  the  Enos  claim,  and  in  1883  sold  to 
Joel  Alvord  ;  he  moved  on  to  a  claim  on  the  Ver- 
million, just  over  the  line,  in  what  is  now  Livingston 
County,  called  Moon's  Point,  where  he  died  in  1853. 
The  family  are  wealthy  farmers  and  large  stock 
dealers. 

John  Slater,  from  Ohio,  settled  in  Sangamon 
County  in  1823,  came  to  Bailey's  Grove  in  1829  ;  he 
bought  a  claim  of  Tracy,  a  transient  claimant,  on 
S.  24,  T.  32,  R.  1  ;  in  1833  sold  his  claim  to  Nathaniel 


290  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Eddy,  and  made  a  claim  on  S.  19,  T.  32,  R.  2, 
where  he  lived  and  raised  a  large  family.  He  died  of 
cholera  in  1848  ;  his  first  wife  died  in  1832  ;  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Mary  Warnock,  is  now  living  with  Alfred. 
He  left  seven  children  :  Henry,  married  Lydia  Gal- 
loway, he  died  of  cholera  in  1848  ;  Harriet,  married 
Jacob  Barr,  they  live  at  Lowell ;  Sally,  is  single ; 
Olive,  married  Charles  Clark,  and  lives  in  Missouri'*, 
Jerusha,  married  J.  W.  Wells,  she  is  now  a  widow, 
living  in  Streator  ;  B.  F.,  married  Louisa  Dart,  are 
now  living  at  Farm  Ridge,  have  six  children  ;  Alfred, 
married  Mary  Jane  Kirkpatrick,  and  lives  at  Metrop- 
olis, ni. 

John  Bailey,  and  wife,  Sally  Benjamin,  came  from 
Windsor,  Vermont,  in  1831,  to  Putnam  County,  and 
in  1832  bought  the  claim  of  Warren's  estate  on  S.  17, 
T.  32,  R.  2,  where  he  lived  till  his  death  in  1842. 
A  good  citizen,  he  always  cheerfully  bore  his  portion 
of  the  public  burden  of  a  new  settlement.  His  widow 
died  in  1 854.  He  left  seven  children  :  Sarah  Ann, 
married  Nelson  Alvord,  a  Baptist  preacher  ;  Mary, 
married  William  Laughlin,  now  a  widow  ;  Rhoda, 
married  Samuel  Bullock ;  Annis,  married  Bailey 
Barrass  ;  Maria,  married  Seth  Eaton  ;  Emilj'-,  mar- 
ried Frank  Wood,  they  live  in  Eden ;  William, 
married  Janet  Potter,  adopted  daughter  of  John 
Rider,  and  lives  on  the  old  farm — is  now  Town 
Supervisor.  * 

Leslie  Kent,  and  wife,  Huldah  Harman,  fj-om 
Conway,  Mass.,  in  1833  ;  settled  on  S.  18,  T.  32,  R.  2. 
Mrs.  Kent  died  in  August,  1840:  he  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1846,  leaving  two  daughters  :  Huldah,  married 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Yermillion.  291 


Edward   R.   Williams,    they   live  in  Deer    Park;. 
Caroline  Maliala,  married  Wells  Alderman. 

Daniel  Warren,  and  wife,  came  from  Maine  in  1809, 
to  Madison  County,  New  York  ;  he  came  by  wagon, 
with  his  family,  the  whole  distance  from  New  York 
to  Illinois  in  1830  ;  settled  on  S.  17,  T.  32,  R.  2  ; 
died  there  in  1832,  aged  64  ;  his  claim  was  sold  to 
John  Bailey.  He  left  eight  children :  Polly,  married 
Asa  Holdridge  ;  Nathan,  settled  in  Serena  ;  Daniel, 
died  in  Serena ;  Ezekiel,  died  at  An  Sable  ;  Samuel,, 
died  on  Indian  creek ;  Eunice,  married  Alfred  Kel- 
logg ;  Betsey  married  George  Sprague  ;  Olive,  mar- 
ried Alva  0.  Smith,  and  died  in  Serena. 

William  Petigrew,  from  Kentucky,  a  single  man, 
boarded  with  Lewis  Bailey  ;  made  a  claim  ;  sold 
to  Enos,  and  went  to  Holderman's  Grove;  mar- 
ried a  widow  with  two  children,  and  then  removed 
to  Indian  creek,  where  he  and  his  family  were  all 
killed  in  the  Indian  massacre. 

Dea.  John  Leonard,  from  near  Boston,  Mass.,  in 
1831,  came  with  the  Northampton  colony  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Jones  ;  they  located  at  Bailey's 
Grove.  Jones  died  soon  after,  and  Leonard  eventu- 
ally married  Jones'  widow,  and  settled  on  S.  18,  T. 
32,  R.  2.  He  was  deacon  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Congregational  church  ;  a  radical  abolitionist, 
he  had  the  reputation  of  keeping  a  station  on  th& 
Underground  Railroad  ;  he  removed  to  Galesburg, 
where  he  died  in  1866 ;  his  wife,  and  two  children, 
Levi  and  Sarah,  died  there  also. 

Levi  Jones,  from  Massachusetts,  in  1831,  one  of 
the  Northampton  colony,  died  the  same  year ;  his. 


292  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

widow  married  Dea.  Leonard,  left  four  children : 
Daniel  and  Raymond ;  Mary,  married  Daniel  Little ; 
Susan,  is  in  Galesburg. 

Jacob  Elliott,  and  wife,  Meliitable  Cook,  from 
New  Hampshire,  in  1839,  resided  at  Lowell.  He 
died  in  1841,  leaving  four  children.  His  son  Charles 
married  Lucy  Bach  ;  second  wife,  Harriet  Hunting- 
ton. He  was  a  partner  of  William  Seeley  in  the 
town  of  Lowell  and  water-power  adjoining.  They 
built  the  stone  mill,  and  anticipated  building  up  a 
manufacturing  town  that  would  not  disgrace  its 
namesake  in  Massachusetts.  It  was  not  a  success 
proportioned  to  the  enterprise  of  its  founders,  and 
the  early  death  of  its  proprietors  put  a  stop  to  its 
further  progress.  Charles  Elliott  was  for  several 
years  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  County  Commis- 
sioner: he  died  about  1855  or  '56,  and  left  one  son 
by  his  first  wife,  Jacob,  who  married  a  daughter 
of  Sargeant  Cummings,  and  lives  in  Iowa ;  Sarah, 
the  daughter  of  his  second  wife,  married  Uriali 
Painter,  and  lives  at  Streator. 

Jacob  Elliott' s  other  children  were :  Cook,  who 
married  Jane  Wiswall,  and  died  soon  after ;  Mary, 
married  Emery  Stanford,  now  dead  ;  Sarah,  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Weber,  both  are  dead. 

Emery  Stanford,  from  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  came  in 
1837,  a  stone  mason  by  trade  ;  he  built  the  stone 
mill  at  Lowell  for  Seeley  &  Elliott,  an  enduring  mon- 
ument to  the  skill  and  fidelity  of  its  builders.  He 
married  Mary  Elliott,  and  moved  on  to  a  farm  on 
S.  27,  T.  32,  R.  2,  where  he  still  resides.  Has  been 
Town  Supervisor  and  held  other  positions  of  trust. 


STcetch  of  Settlers  —  Verm illion .  293 

He  has  three  children  :  Sarah,  married  Justin  Hall, 
of  Chatsworth  ;  Russell,  married  Mary  Hutchinson  ; 
Frank,  is  in  Livingston  Co.  Mr.  Stanford  has  a 
daughter,  Susan,  by  a  former  wife,  who  married 
Henry  Loomis,  now  in  Kansas. 

Leonard  Bullock,  from  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  in  1837  ; 
he  first  engaged  in  teaching  and  then  extensively  in 
farming  in  company  with  his  brother,  Joseph,  near 
Tonica.  He  married  Julia  Eames,  and  died  in  fall 
of  1856,  leaving  three  children:  Henry,  married 
Fanny  Laughlin,  and  lives  near  Tonica ;  Eliza  and 
Lura  reside  with  their  mother  on  the  old  farm. 

Henry  L.  Fulton,  millwright,  and  Emeline  Castle, 
his  wife,  from  Waterloo,  New  York,  came  to  Lowell 
in  1837,  and  moved  to  Chicago  in  1842,  where  he 
now  lives.  They  had  two  children  :  Juliette,  mar- 
ried Thomas  C.  Whitmarsh,  live  in  Chicago ;  and 
Franklin,  married  Amelia  Schock,  now  practicing 
as  physician  in  Geneseo,  Hlinois. 

Joseph  Hamar,  of  Massachusetts,  came  to  Illinois 
in  1835,  in  company  with  t>v.  J.  S.  Bullock  ;  left 
Massachusetts  in  October,  and  came  by  the  way  of 
Albany,  Erie  canal  and  steamer  to  Cleveland,  and 
by  canal  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and  by  steamer  to 
St.  Louis  ;  took  passage  for  the  Illinois  river  ;  was 
detained  by  ice  near  Alton.  Nov.  30th  left  the  boat, 
and  Mr.  Hamar  and  Edw'  d  Knapp,  also  from  Massa- 
chusetts, started  on  foot  through  a  deep  snow  and 
over  an  uninhabited  prairie  for  his  destination  in 
La  Salle  County.  They  reached  Springfield  Dec.  4, 
Tremont,  on  the 7th,  and  Bailey's  Grove  on  the  11th. 
Dr.  Bullock  arrived  by  boat  Jan.  2,  1836.     In  Janu- 


294  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

ary,  Mr.  Hamar  went  to  Dixon  on  foot  to  enter  land, 
and  was  gone  ten  days.  In  the  spring  he  was  joined 
by  his  family  and  found  quarters  at  the  hospitable 
house  of  Lewis  Bailey.  He  settled  on  S.  32,  where 
he  built  a  log  cabin  the  following  summer,  the  first 
in  that  locality  that  ventured  to  settle  away  from 
timber  on  the  open  prairie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamar, 
in  common  with  their  neighbors  from  iN'ew  England, 
brought  with  them  a  high  regard  for  the  church 
and  school-house,  which  they  learned  among  their 
native  hills.  Mr.  Hamar  died  Aug.,  1846,  aged  51. 
Mrs.  Hamar  died  May,  1876,  aged  78,  leaving  seven 
children :  Elizabeth,  now  the  widow  of  Samuel 
Wauchope,  of  Farm  Ridge ;  Mary  Ann,  widow  of 
Oeorge  Kingsbury,  living  near  Tonica  ;  Minerva  O. , 
wife  of  Nathan  L.  Eaton,  living  three  miles  east  of 
Tonica  ;  Joseph  E.,  living  in  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.  ; 
Geo.  E.,  is  in  Dodge  County,  Nebraska  ;  Therestal, 
died  in  1846  ;  Eugene  lives  in  Tonica. 

Benjamin  AVashburn,  and  wife,  from  Plymouth 
County,  Massachusetts,  in  1835 ;  settled  on  S.  15. 
Had  four  sons  :  Benjamin,  lives  in  Lowell ;  Salmon 
B.,  is  in  Colorado ;  Giistavus  and  Stillman  are 
dead. 

Henry  Angell,  from  Rhode  Island  ;  left  there  in 
the  fall  of  1835.  While  on  the  way  was  frozen  in 
on  the  Erie  Canal,  and  wintered  in  Utica,  New 
York  ;  arrived  here  in  the  spring  of  1836,  and  settled 
at  Yermillionville,  where  his  wife  died.  He  married 
Miss  Washburn,  and  settled  on  S.  85 ;  he  died  about 
1850  ;  his  widow  died  in  1874.  His  children  by  his 
first  wife  are :  Abbey,  who  married  John  Fry,  her 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  295 


second  liiisband  is  John  M.  Trout,  now  in  Kansas ; 
Henry,  is  in  Nebraska  ;  Mary  Jane  ;  Lydia,  married 
Granville  Clark.  His  children  by  his  second  wife 
are  :  Washburn  and  Albert,  twin  brothers — Albert  is 
dead,  Washburn  married  Miss  Stillwell ;  Everett,  is 
married,  and  lives  on  the  old  place ;  Ann,  married 
Oeorge  Enderton ;  Hannah,  married  George  Sharp. 

Mr.  Wilkinson,  from  Rhode  Island,  came  with 
Henry  Angell,  his  brother-in-law,  in  1836,  and  set- 
tled at  Vermillionville ;  soon  after  went  to  Iowa. 

Levi  Woodward,  and  wife,  from  Massachusetts, 
came  in  1837,  and  settled  on  S.  32,  T.  32,  R.  3, 
where  he  died  in  1846.  His  widow  married  John 
Clai'k  ;  she  became  insane,  and  died  in  the  Asylum 
at  Jacksonville.  Mr.  Woodward  left  four  children : 
Lewis,  married  Relefe  G.  Dart,  second  wife  Marga- 
ret Dart,  is  living  in  the  town  of  Allen,  has  twelve 
living  children,  and  is  a  large  farmer  ;  Ona,  is  living 
in  Denver ;  Mary,  married  a  Mr.  Richardson,  and 
they  are  living  in  Iowa ;  Elizabeth,  married  a  Mr. 
Conway,  of  Missouri. 

Lloyd  C.  Knapp,  came  from  Massachusetts  in 
company  with  the  family  of  Joseph  Hamar,  and 
Joseph  Bullock,  in  the  spring  of  1836  ;  he  settled  on  S. 
33,  T.  32,  R.  2,  where  he  now  lives.  He  married  Sarah 
Kirkpatrick.  Their  children  are :  Alvan,  who  died 
soon  after  his  return  from  the  army,  in  the  war  of 
the  rebellion ;  Austin,  lives  in  Kansas ;  Sarah,  wife 
of  Nathan  Hall,  lives  at  East  Lynn  ;  Dora,  wife  of 
Albert  Hall,  lives  at  Chats  worth ;  George,  is  at 
Anna,  111.  ;  and  two  younger  children,  at  home. 

Joel  Alvord,    Edward   Alvord,    Nelson  Alvord, 


296  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

(sons  of  Joel),  Jacob  Barr,  William  Gfroom,  and 
Madison  Goslin,  left  Albany  County,  Xew  York,  in 
wagons,  tlie  loth  day  of  May,  1833,  for  the  West. 
In  Chicago,  they  met  Judge  Isaac  Dimmick,  then 
returning  from  a  tour  of  exploration,  who  directed 
them  to  this  locality.  They  arrived  here  July  18th. 
A  journey  by  land  for  hundreds  of  miles  at  that 
day  through  a  country,  most  of  it  unsettled,  without 
roads  or  bridges,  can  hardly  be  appreciated  now. 
They  were  compelled  to  adopt  camp  life  ;  stopping 
at  night  on  the  bank  of  some  stream,  where  wood 
and  water  could  be  procured,  and  sleeping  in  their 
wagons,  or  on  the  ground,  and  in  some  instances 
were  compelled  to  build  bridges  to  cross  the  streams. 
Madison  Goslin  died  in  the  fall  of  1833. 

Joel  Alvord,  and  wife,  in  1833,  bought  a  claim  of 
Jacob  Moon,  on  S.  18,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  a  substantial  farmer,  and  good  citizen. 
He  died,  March,  1856,  aged  76,  leaving  five  children  : 
Betsey,  married  Reuben  Moifat ;  Edward,  married 
Elizabeth  Cleveland  ;  Alison  ;  Nelson,  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  married  Sarah  Bailey,  and  lives  in 
Kansas  ;  Joel,  married  Lydia  Hall,  died  of  a  wound. 

Jacob  Barr  married  Harriet,  daughter  of  John 
Slater,  and  is  now  living  at  Lowell  ;  has  five 
children  :  Henry,  married  Harriet  Alydo  ;  Sybil, 
married  Eugene  Miller ;  Imogene,  married  Samuel 
Underhill,  of  Tonica  ;  Ellen,  married  Benton  Crum- 
rin,  now  in  California  ;  Arthur,  is  in  California. 

The  author  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Barr  for  the  history 
of  the  colony,  of  which  he  was  one. 

Ezra  Hawley,   and   wife,    Rhoda  M.  Buck,   came 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  297 


from  Bennington  County,  Yennont,  to  Sangamon 
County,  and  to  Bailey's  Grove,  in  June,  1835  ;  set- 
tled on  S.  20,  where  he  is  still  living.  His  living 
children,  are :  Anson,  at  home  ;  Myron,  who  mar- 
ried Emeline  Hall,  in  Vermillion  ;  Hiram,  married 
Mary  Goodwin,  lives  near  the  old  place, 

Nathan  Hawley,  brother  of  Ezra,  came  from  Ver- 
mont, July,  1836,  and  died  the  next  October  ;  his 
widow,  Chloe  Ann  Whiteside,  lives  near  Peoria. 

Aurilla  Buck,  sister  of  Mrs.  Ezra  Hawley,  came 
in  1836  ;  she  married  John  Becker  ;  is  now  a  widow, 
living  in  Rockford. 

Jacob  Burgess,  came  from  Burlington  County, 
New  Jersey,  in  December,  1837  ;  settled  on  Section 
31.  His  wife  was  Olive  Clark  ;  they  are  both  dead. 
Ebenezer,  married  Mary  Seeley,  he  died  in  1841  ; 
Dorothy,  married  Jonathan  Hutchinson,  of  Iowa  ; 
Jacob,  married  Betsey  Hall,  and  lives  in  Tonica ; 
Warren,  married  Emma  Swift  ;  Stokes,  married 
Emma  Hiller;  Sidney,  married  Miss  Allen,  on  the  old 
farm  ;  Mary,  married  Israel  Hutchinson. 

Israel  Hutchinson,  from  New  Jersey,  came  in 
183T,  and  settled  on  S.  32,  where  he  still  resides ; 
he  married  Mary  Burgess,  and  has  had  fifteen 
children. 

Jonathan  Hutchinson,  from  New  Jersey,  came  in 
1837  ;  married  Dorothy  Burgess  ;  moved  to  Iowa. 

Bailey  Barrass,  from  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  in  1837 ;  a 
carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  an  industrious  and 
good  mechanic ;  he  married  Annis,  daughter  of  John 
Bailey.  He  died  in  1864,  aged  51,  leaving  four 
children  :   John,  died  in  the  army ;   Orvill,  married 

20 


298  History  of  La  iSalle  County. 

Anna  Fleming  ;  Onslow,  married  Margaret  A.  Mosier, 
of  Tonica  :  Julia,  at  home. 

Josiah  Seybold,  from  Southern  Illinois,  a  native 
of  the  State,  came  in  1833.  He  built  a  flouring 
mill  on  the  Vermillion,  which  was  completed  in  1836  ; 
he  sold  the  mill  to  the  Messrs.  Todd,  and  moved  on 
a  farm  in  the  town  of  Eden.  While  descending  the 
Mississippi  in  a  flat  boat,  he  died  at  Xatchez.  sus- 
pected of  poison.  He  left  three  children  ;  Thad- 
deus,  married  Lizzie  Denton,  lives  in  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  Jerome,  is  in  Chicago ;  Mary,  is  the  wife  of 
Willis  Stewart,  of  Putnam  County.  Mrs.  Seybold, 
Nancy  Scanlan,  from  Virginia,  now  lives  with  Mrs. 
Stewart. 

Chester  Dryer,  from  Seneca  County,  N.Y.,  in  Dec? 
1835,  his  family  came  in  June,  1836.  A  sad  fatality 
attended  his  family ;  his  second  son,  Calvin,  died  in 
1840 ;  his  oldest  son,  "William,  died  in  1841,  and  his 
wife,  Sarah  Hobro,  died  in  1842.  Of  seven  children 
by  his  first  wife,  one  only  survives,  Keziah,  wife 
of  Sanford  Harwood.  living  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Drver's 
second  wife  is  Mary  Little ;  they  have  one  daughter. 
He  brought  in  the  first  threshing  machine — a  four- 
horse  power  that  delivered  the  grain  on  the  ground 
from  the  cylinder  to  be  cleaned  by  the  hand  mill 
— an  imperfect  implement,  but  far  better  than 
tramping  out  the  grain  on  the  ground  with  horses 
or  cattle. 

Mr.  Dryer  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  several  years. 

George  Brown,  from  New  Hampshire,  came  in 
18CU  ;  was  part  owner,  with  "William  Seeley,  of  the 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  299 


iiist  sawmill  built  at  Lowell;  lie  died  at  Seeley'a 
about  1836. 

Moses  Little,  son  of  Ebenezer,  came  from  New 
Hampshire  in  1837  ;  settled  on  Section  33  ;  removed, 
and  died  in  Iowa,  November,  1856. 

Fernal  Little,  from  New  Hampshire,  came  in  1837  ; 
went  to  the  south  part  of  the  State. 

Deacon  Button  came  from  Ohio  to  Michigan,  and 
from  Michigan  to  S.  31,  T.  32,  R.  2,  in  1835;  in 
1844  he  moved  to  Wisconsin.  He  had  a  large  family  ; 
Rosanna,  married  Peter  Schoonover;  another  daugh- 
ter married  a  Mr.  Curtis  ;  Ann,  went  to  Wisconsin  ; 
Aladelphia,  died  at  home.  His  sons  were  :  Hollis ; 
Ard,  married  the  widow  Faro  ;  Charles,  is  a  Baptist 
preacher  of  note  ;  Asa  ;  and  some  younger  children. 
They  all  went  to  Wisconsin. 

Mr. Curtis,  son-in-law  of  Button,  came  from  Michi- 
gan with  him,  was  constantly  in  litigation  with  his 
brother-in-law  Schoonover  till  he  left  for  Wisconsin 
with  his  wife' s  father,  when  Schoonover  had  to  find 
another  opponent. 

Peter  Schoonover  came  from  Ohio  and  from  Mich- 
igan here  in  1830,  settling  on  Sections  32  and  33  ; 
married  Rosanna  Button,  and  was  a  large  farmer  and 
stock  raiser.  He  had  a  passion  for  litigation  which 
was  apparently  uncontrollable,  and  he  seemed  in  a 
state  of  suffering  when  denied  the  pleasure  and  ex- 
citement of  a  lawsuit.  About  1857  he  moved  across 
the  plains  to  Oregon,  and  when  last  heard  from  was 
preaching  in  California.  He  had  but  little  education, 
but  much  practical  shrewdness,  and  had  learned  by 
experience  many  quibbles  and  quirks  of  the  law. 


300  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Nothing  affoi'ded  him  more  exquisite  pleasure  than 
to  get  the  advantage  of  an  opponent  at  law  or  to 
circumvent  and  outwit  the  simple  men  he  employed 
to  work  his  farm.  The  tale  of  his  sharp  transactions 
would  fill  a  volume.  His  practice  was,  to  make  a 
written  contract  with  the  men  he  hired,  so  worded 
tliat  the  contract  was  sure  to  be  broken,  when  the 
laborer  got  no  pay. 

A  few  are  inserted  as  a  curiosity  in  their  way. 

He  sold  a  pair  of  steers  for  $65  worth  835,  and 
took  a  note  as  follows  :  "One  day  after  date,  I 
promise  to  make  for  Peter  Schoonover  32,000  oak 
shingles  at  $2.00  per  M.,  Schoonover  to  furnish 
timber."  The  cattle  were  placed  at  double  their 
value,  and  so  was  the  work — but  as  the  shingles 
could  not  be  made  in  one  day,  the  giver  of  the  note 
was  called  on  for  the  money  at  the  advanced  price. 

He  arrested  a  German  for  burning  some  wheat 
stacks,  as  he  claimed,  by  carelessness  ;  the  frightened 
German  who  had  not  been  near  the  stack,  settled 
and  gave  a  note  for  $100 ;  this  by  advice,  he  refused 
to  pay  ;  an  arbitration  followed,  and  Schoonover 
recovered  $28.  Anxious  to  pay  it  and  be  clear  of 
the  trouble,  he  traded  a  riHe  worth  $25  and  a  heifer 
worth  $15 — all  the  property  he  had,  with  Schoon- 
over, and  got  an  old  rifle  worth  50  cents  and  a  credit 
on  his  note  for  $13.  Now,  says  Schoonover,  you 
can  not  read  English,  and  will  not  comprehend  an 
endorsement,  you  had  better  give  me  a  new  note  for 
the  $15  balance  and  take  up  the  old  note.  He  did 
so,  but  found  he  had  received  the  $100  note  that  was 
killed  by  the  arbitration — Schoonover  retaining  the 


Slietcli  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  301 

twenty-eiglit  and  tlie  fifteen   dollar  notes  and  the 
rifle   and  heifer. 

He  hired  two  Germans  to  split  6,000  rails  for  $30, 
or  $5  per  M. ,  and  to  take  in  pay  a  mare  for  the  $30. 
The  rails  were  to  be  good  size,  not  less  than  four 
inches  square  at  the  little  end.  One  evening,  Schoon- 
over  says,  "  Bo3's,  let  me  learn  you  a  little  shrewd- ' 
ness — it  will  enable  you  to  get  rich  ;  let  us  alter  the 
terms  of  our  contract,  you  give  me  $60  for  the  mare 
and  I  will  give  you  $10  per  M.  for  making  the  rails, 
it  will  be  all  the  same  ;  if  you  buy  the  mare  for 
$30,  you  can  never  sell  her  for  more,  but  give  $60 
and  she  will  sell  for  that."  They  did  so.  "When  the 
rails  were  made,  they  would  not  measure  four  inches 
square  at  the  small  end,  as  no  lot  of  rails  ever  did, 
and  they  got  nothing  for  the  splitting,  and  paid  $60 
cash  for  the  mare  worth  $30,  which  he  had  induced 
them  to  take  in  advance,  and  they  had  traded  away. 

As  a  specimen  of  his  forensic  ability,  a  sample  is 
given.  His  father-in-law,  Dea,  Button,  sued  him  for 
taking  and  butchering  some  of  his  hogs,  and  recov- 
ered. At  the  trial,  Schoonover  said:  "This  old 
man  has  followed  me  from  Ohio  to  Michigan,  and 
from  Michigan  to  Illinois  ;  he  has  pursued  me  as 
Saul  pursued  David.  And  although  I  have  had 
frequent  opportunities  I  never  cut  off  the  tail  of  his 
€oat.  How  it  looks  for  this  old  man  to  endeavor  to 
destroy  the  reputation  of  the  legal  protector  of  the 
only  unspotted  daughter  the  old  man  has  got  ; 
this  venerable  old  man  with  one  foot  in  the  grave, 
and  God  knows  the  other  had  ought  to  be." 

Benjamin  Lundy,  settled  in  the  town  of  Vermil- 


302  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

lion  in  1838.  His  reputation  is  so  world-wide  that 
among  the  old  settlers  he  deserves  more  than  a  pass- 
ing notice.  His  ancestors  were  from  England  and 
"Wales,  and  both  his  parents  belonged  to  the  Society 
of  Friends.  He  was  born  at  Hardwich,  Sussex 
County,  New  Jersey,  January  4,  1789.  His  educa- 
tional advantages  were  a  few  months  only  at  a 
common  school.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  saddler 
at  Wheeling,  Virginia,  and  as  that  place  was  then  a 
great  slave  mart,  he  became  strongl}^  impressed  with 
the  enormity  of  slavery.  He  here  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  William  Lewis,  and  sisters,  one  of 
whom  he  afterwards  married,  and  set  up  his  busi- 
ness of  saddler,  at  St.  Clairville,  on  the  Ohio.  Al- 
though successful  in  business,  he  soon  left  it  for  the 
more  congenial  emplojanent  of  working  for  the  free- 
dom of  the  slave.  Lecturing,  forming  anti-slavery 
associations,  and  editing  an  abolition  paper,  was 
the  commencement  of  a  work  to  which  he  devoted 
his  life.  When  he  entered  the  field  he  promised 
never  to  leave  it  till  he  ceased  to  breathe  or  the 
object  was  accomplished  ;  he  kept  his  word  and  died 
in  the  harness.  Like  Howard,  the  philanthropist,  he 
made  it  a  life-work,  regardless  of  the  sacrifices,  pri- 
vations and  personal  dangers  that  beset  his  path. 
His  was  such  a  character  as  the  world  seldom  pro- 
duces. It  crosses  the  plodding,  selfish  track  of 
common  humanity  like  a  luminous  meteor  passing 
athwart  the  sombre  darkness  of  the  midnight  sky. 
Men  pause  while  the  evils  and  wrongs  of  society  are 
exposed  ;  and  those  who  are  ever  prone  to  travel 
thoughtlessly  and  without  inquiry,  in  the  ruts  their 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  303 


fathers  made,  even  though  they  may  be  stained  with 
the  blood  of  suffering  innocence,  have  their  dor- 
mant and  sleeping  consciences  aroused. 

Lundy  was  the  first  anti-slavery  apostle,  whose 
whole  life  was  an  offering  on  the  altar  of  human 
rights  ;  his  efforts  aroused  and  enlisted  Tappan, 
Goodell,  Garrison,  and  others,  who  became  his  co- 
workers, and  who  carried  on  the  work  after  Lundy 
had  gone  to  his  rest. 

He  started  an  anti-slavery  paper  at  Mount  Pleasant, 
Ohio,  in  1821,  called  the  "  Genius  of  Universal 
Emancipation."  This  paper  he  published  some- 
times as  a  weekly,  but  generally  as  a  monthly, 
with  slight  interruption,  till  his  death,  a  period  of 
eighteen  years.  After  issuing  eight  monthly  num- 
bers he  removed "  his  paper  to  Tennessee  where  he 
continued  till  his  removal  to  Baltimore  in  1 824.  The 
circulation  of  his  paper  was  quite  satisfactory,  es- 
pecially so  in  most  of  the  slave-holding  States.  His 
treatment  of  the  subject,  though  firm  and  decided, 
was  mild  and  conciliatory,  yet  it  soon  aroused  the 
demon  of  slavery,  and  often  exposed  him  to  per- 
sonal danger.  On  one  occasion  in  Tennessee,  two- 
ruffians  entered  his  office,  shut  and  locked  the  door, 
and  demanded  the  recantation  of  an  article  pub- 
lished in  the  "Genius,"  but  he  coolly  faced  and 
held  them  at  bay  till  help  arrived. 

The  circulation  of  his  paper  had  become  so  general 
over  the  whole  country,  that  he  thought  its  publi- 
cation in  one  of  the  Atlantic  cities  would  increase 
its  efficiency ;  he  selected  Baltimore  as  being  central, 
and  within  the  shadow  of  the  dark  pall  of  human 


304  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

slavery,  and  located  there  in  1824.  In  1828,  lie  made 
a  tour  throuo-li  Xew  Eno-land,  lecturino;  and  formino- 
his  favorite  anti-slavery  societies,  and  increasing  the 
circulation  of  his  paper.  On  this  trip  he  first  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Arthur  Tappan,  in  New  York  ; 
of  William  Goodell,  in  Providence,  and  of  William 
Lloyd  Garrison,  in  Boston.  Pi;£vious  to  this  time, 
neitiier  of  those  gentlemen  had  been  very  active  in 
the  anti-slavery  cause. 

In  November,  1828,  he  again  traveled  over  New 
England  and  New  York,  and  delivered  fortv-three 
lectures  while  on  the  trip.  The  following  winter  he 
was  assaulted  and  nearly  killed  in  the  streets  of 
Baltimore  by  Austin  Woolfolk,  a  slave-trader,  for 
commenting  on  his  conduct.  The  judge,  before  whom 
Woolfolk  was  tried,  told  the  jury  that  Lundy  got 
no  more  than  he  deserved,  and  when  the  jury  ren- 
dered a  verdict  of  guilty,  the  judge  fined  him  one 
dollar,  and  gave  the  offensive  article  to  the  grand 
jury,  informing  them  that  it  was  libelous,  but  the 
jur}^  thought  otherwise,  and  found  no  bill.  The 
same  winter  Lundy  went  to  Hayti  in  the  interest  of 
some  manumitted  slaves  who  were  settled  there  in  a 
state  of  freedom.  While  in  Hayti  his  excellent  and 
amiable  wife  and  co-worker  died,  leaving  him  with 
a  family  of  five  children.  Though  keenly  sensitive 
to  his  loss,  his  efforts  in  his  life  work  were  soon  re- 
newed with  his  usual  vigor. 

In  the  spring  of  1829,  he  went  again  to  Haj^ti  on  a 
similar  mission.  That  spring  Wm.  Lloj'd  Garrison 
joined  him  at  Baltimore  in  editing  the  "Genius," 
Garrison   was    more  severe    in   his  language    than 


Sketch  of  Stttlers  —  Vermillion.  305 


Lundy,  and  was  soon  imprisoned  for  libel,  and 
compelled  to  leave  Baltimore.  Soon  after,  a  similar 
experience  awaited  Lundy,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  remove  liis  paper  to  Washington. 

In  the  years  1830  and  1831,  he  traveled  most  of 
the  time,  taking  some  of  his  type  and  his  subscription 
list  with  him.  Stopping  each  month  at  some  village 
printing  office  he  would  get  the  loan  of  press  and 
types,  issue  his  monthly  edition,  mail  to  his  sub- 
scribers, and  go  on  lecturing  and  forming  societies; 
but  Washington  was  nominally  the  place  of  pub- 
lication. 

Lundy  visited  Texas  and  Mexico  three  different 
times,  to  procure  grants  of  land  on  which  he  could 
locate  emancipated  slaves,  and  raise  cotton  and 
sugar  by  free  labor.  He  found  encouragement  in 
Texas,  but  the  fillibustering  on  that  contested  field 
about  that  time  defeated  the  object.  He  obtained  a 
grant  of  138,000  acres  in  the  Mexican  State  of 
•  Tamanlipas,  on  condition  he  should  introduce  250 
families  ;  this  scheme  received  much  favor  at  home, 
but  the  arrangement  was  also  defeated  by  the  Texas 
imbroglio. 

In  these  enterprises,  Lundy  seemed  to  trust  in 
Providence,  but  more  in  his  own  industry  and  in- 
domitable pluck.  On  his  arrival  at  Metamoras,  on 
his  journey  to  Mexico,  his  funds  gave  out ;  he  at 
once  rented  a  room,  went  to  work  at  his  trade  of 
saddler,  earning  sometimes  five  dollars  per  day,  and 
when  his  purse  was  replenished,  he  again  went  on 
his  way ;  he  had  frequently  done  this  before. 

His  paper  was  prominent  in  all  public  questions 


306  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

where  slavery  was  involved.  With  the  co-operation 
of  John  Q.  Adams,  he  fought  the  enterprise  of  the 
Texan  invaders,  as  he  had  before  in  1823  and  '24, 
taking  a  leading  part  in  opposition  to  the  attempt  to 
introduce  slavery  into  Illinois.  It  is  singular,  in  the 
light  of  the  subsequent  history  of  the  anti-slavery 
contest,  that  the  movement  inaugurated  by  Lundy 
should  have  made  such  headway  in  the  slave  States. 
His  paper  for  August,  1825,  states  that  he  had  more 
subscribers  in  North  Carolina  than  in  any  other 
State.  At  an  election  in  Baltimore,  in  1826,  Ray- 
mond, the  anti-slavery  candidate,  received  one- 
seventh  of  the  votes  cast ;  this  and  other  indications- 
show  that  there  was  a  healthy  anti- slavery  senti- 
ment at  the  South,  but  the  aristocratic  slaveholders 
then,  as  since,  when  aroused,  crushed  it  out  and 
silenced  its  voice.  A  very  unfortunate  occurrence 
took  place  on  the  3d  of  August,  1831,  in  the  insur- 
rection of  about  fifty  slaves  in  Southampton  Co.^ 
Ya.,  under  a  fanatical  preacher  by  the  name  of  Nat 
Turner.  They  procured  arms  and  commenced  an 
indiscriminate  massacre  of  all  they  met,  without  dis- 
tinction of  sex  or  age,  to  the  number  in  all  of  sixty- 
three,  when  they  were  dispersed.  At  the  same  time 
a  plot  for  an  insurrection  of  the  slaves  of  several 
counties  of  North  Carolina  was  discovered,  and 
rumors  of  plots  elsewhere  were  rife. 

The  natural  effect  of  all  this  was  to  prejudice  the 
public  mind  against  all  anti-slavery  efforts,  and  ta 
embitter  the  contest  between  the  pro's  and  anti's. 

There  is  no  probability  that  the  anti-slavery 
movement  had  any  inflaence  in  the  Nat  Turner  in- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  307' 

surrectioii  ;  Turner  was  a  fanatic,  and  probably  in- 
sane ;  lie  claimed  to  liave  been  commanded  from 
heaven  to  do  whit  he  did. 

In  August,  1836,  Lundy  commenced  in  Philadel- 
phia the  publication  of  a  weekly  paper  devoted  to 
emancipation,  called  the  National  Inquirer,  and  in 
1838  relinquished  its  publication,  and  was  succeeded 
by  John  G.  Whittier.  The  "Genius,"  as  a  monthly, 
was  published  during  this  time  at  Philadelphia, 
where  it  had  been  removed  from  Washington. 

A  large  hall,  costing  $30,000,  built  by  abolitionists 
and  others,  was  opened  on  the  14tli  of  May,  1838, 
and  several  abolition  meetings  and  discussions  held 
tlierein.  On  the  evening  of  the  17th,  a  mob  assault- 
ed and  burned  the  hall,  with  little  opposition  from 
the  police ;  the  firemen  protected  the  adjoining 
building,  but  did  nothing  to  save  the  hall.  This 
was  done  in  staid  Quaker  Philadelphia,  and  shows 
the  bitter  contest  then  being  waged  on  the  slavery 
question.  Lundy' s  books,  papers,  clothing  and  other 
personal  effects  were  all  burned  in  the  building. 
He  had  for  sometime  contemplated  moving  his 
paper  to  the  then  opening  Northwest.  He  left 
Philadelphia  in  July,  and  arrived  in  Illinois  in  Sep- 
tember. Disappointed  in  an  attempt  to  start  his 
paper  at  Hennepin,  he  accepted  a  proposition  from 
the  citizens  of  Lowell,  La  Salle  Co.,  and  moved  there- 
in the  winter  of  183S-9,  built  a  house  and  printing 
office,  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  four  miles  dis- 
tant. Here  his  paper  was  published  rather  irregu- 
larly, for  the  want  of  funds,  having  at  first  no  help- 
but  his  two  sons,  one  of  whom  attended  to  the  farm.- 


'308  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

In  August  he  was  attacked  with  bilious  fever,  then 
prevalent  in  that  localit}^,  and  died  on  the  22d  of 
August,  1839,  in  the  51st  year  of  his  age.  His  re- 
mains were  buried  in  the  Friend's  burying  ground 
•on  Clear  creek,  in  Putnam  County,  111. 

The  foregoing  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  self- 
sacrifice,  indomitable  perseverance,  and  whole- 
souled  philanthropy  of  Benjamin  Lundy,  for  what- 
ever may  be  the  views  of  anj^  one  on  the  slavery 
question,  it  can  not  be  denied  that  he  deserves  the 
name  of  a  philanthropist  in  the  broadest  sense.  He 
was  not  a  fanatic  ;  his  views  w«^re  broad  and  catho- 
lic, as  is  shown  by  the  toleration  of  his  efforts  at  the 
South,  where  his  paper  was  as  well  received  as  at 
"the  North.  His  efforts  at  colonization  were  broad 
and  comprehensive,  showing  a  cool  head  as  well  as 
a  warm  heart ;  always  conciliatory,  but  never  yield- 
ing an  iota  of  the  rights  of  our  common  humanity, 
his  was  just  the  organization  to  lay  broad  and  deep 
the  foundations  of  universal  emancipation.  With 
an  open  and  pleasing  countenance,  genial,  and  win- 
ning manners,  he  made  friends  of  all  his  associates, 
while  his  convictions  of  truth  and  right  were  as  firm 
as  the  granite  hills  ;  neither  povert}^,  sickness,  afflic- 
tion, toil  and  privation,  mob  violence,  or  the  heel  of 
the  beastly  Woolfolk,  could  swerve  him  from  his 
purpose. 

His  weapons  were  argument,   reason,  justice,  and 

right,  clothed  in  the  garb  of  plain  Quaker  simplicity 

and  sincerity;  and  when  the  contest  became  intenselj'' 

embittered,  and  insane  passion  put  reason  and  right 

;at  defiance,   it  was,   perhaps,  well  that  he  should 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Vermillion.  309^ 

quietly  go  to  his  rest  beneath  the  peaceful  sylvan 
beauties  of  the  prairie,  where  coming  generations 
will  chant  the  praise  of  the  Quaker  philanthropist, 
whose  quiet  voice  spoke  terror  to  Tyranny's 
hosts,  and  inaugurated  the  work  that  finally  broke 
the  fetters  of  the  slave. 

Mr.  Lundy  left  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters :  Susan,  married  Wm.  Wiseman,  of  Put- 
nam County,  now  in  Kansas  ;  Eliza,  married  Isaiah 
Griffith,  live  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Lundy' s  sons  are  both 
dead.  Charles,  died  in  Oct.,  1858;  his  widow,  Mrs.  E. 
M.  Lundy,  is  living  at  Granville,  Putnam  County. 
Benjamin,  married,  practiced  medicine  in  Magnolia, 
and  died  there,  leaving  one  son,  William  L.,  the 
only  male  descendant,  who  is  clerk  in  a  drug  store, 
in  Henry ;  his  widow  married  C.  C.  Gappin,  and 
lives  in  Lacon.  Esther,  the  twin  sister  of  Benjamin, 
died  single. 

Zebina  Eastman  was  assisting  Mr.  Lundy  in  the 
publication  of  his  paper,  at  the  time  of  Lundy' s 
death,  and  immediately  after  commenced  the  publi- 
cation of  the  "Western  Citizen,"  an  anti-slavery 
paper,  at  Chicago,  which  was  continued  for  several 
years,  and  was  really  a  continuation  of  Lundy' s 
work  in  the  Northwest. 

David  Perkins  came  from  New  York  in  1837. 
He  married  Miss  Barrass  ;  resided  at  Lowell  several 
years,  and  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  is  now 
living. 

Dr.  Jethro  Hatch,  and  wife,  Ruth  Cogswell,  came 
from  New  Preston,  Ct.,  in  1834  ;  was  a  physician  of 
good  practice.     Had  two  daughters :     Mary  Ann 


310  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

and  Elizabeth.     Mrs.   Hatch  died  about  1845 ;    the 
Doctor  died  about  1850. 


MANLIUS. 


The  town  of  Manlius  embraces  that  portion  of  T. 
33,  R,5,  lying  north  of  the  Illinois  river.  It  formerly 
embraced  the  south  half  of  T.34.R.5,  which  now  con- 
stitutes a  part  of  the  town  of  Miller.  It  has  consider- 
able bottom  land  along  the  Illinois,  much  of  it  valu- 
able, considerable  bluff  and  broken  land,  and  about 
one-third  of  the  town  is  covered  with  bluff  timber. 
Probably  half  the  town  is  prairie  of  excellent  qual- 
\tj.  The  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and  C,  R.  I.  & 
P.  R.  R.  pass  through  the  bottom  between  the  bluff 
and  the  river,  bringing  a  choice  of  transportation 
facilities  to  the  doors  of  all  its  people.  The  town 
of  Marseilles  is  about  equally  divided  between  the 
towns  of  Rutland  and  Manlius,  and  is  destined  to 
be  an  important  place.  The  Grand  Rapids  of  the 
Illinois  furnish  a  water  power  equal  to  any  de- 
mand that  will  be  mnde  upon  it,  and  the  earliest 
as  well  as  all  subsequent  settlers  have  marked  it  as 
destined  for  a  brilliant  future. 

In  some  respects  it  has  been  unfortunate,  thus  far, 
suffering  severely  from  fire  in  several  instances  ;  but 
it  has  surmounted  these  and  is  now  doing  a  success- 
ful manufacturing  business,  aggregating  nearly  half 
a  million  of  dollars  annually,  which  is  nearly  all 
labor.  This  is  but  a  trifle  of  what  the  future  will 
develop  here.     How  soon  it  will  realize  that  pros- 


Sketch  of  Settlers — Manlius.  311 

perity  which  its  resources  indicate,  will  depend  upon 
national  and  local  conditions  which  time  alone  will 
develop. 

Wm.  Richey  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  emigrated 
to  Huron  County,  Ohio,  where  he  heard  the  cannon- 
ading at  the  time  of  Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie. 
Lost  his  first  wife  and  married  Dolly  Wilson,  a 
Kentucky  woman,  near  Indianapolis,  in  1828. 
Moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  engaged  in  lead  mining. 
In  October,  1829,  came  to  La  Salle  County,  and  made 
a  claim  on  S.  17,  T.  33,  R.  4,  w-here  William  Moore 
now  lives.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  son  William 
W.,  the  only  child  of  his  first  wife  that  came  West. 
The  son  stayed  on  the  claim  while  the  father  went 
to  the  Blue  Mounds  for  the  family.  They  came 
by  the  way  of  Dixon,  in  a  "prairie  schooner,"  with 
a  span  of  horses,  and  an  ox  and  cow  yoked  to- 
gether ;  arrived  on  the  claim  in  January,  1830,  The 
only  neighbor  was  James  Galloway.  In  February, 
1830,  Mrs.  Galloway  died.  Mr.  Richey  and  son  cut 
down  a  black  walnut  tree  the  Indians  had  girdled, 
and  split  out  some  puncheon  boards  and  made  a 
coffin,  in  which  Mrs.  Galloway  was  buried.  In  the 
spring  of  1830  Mr.  Richey  sold  his  claim  to  Abra- 
ham Trnmbo.  They  then  made  a  claim  near  Gallo- 
way's, but  sold  to  Galloway  soon  after  and  made  a 
claim  on  the  S.  E.  i  S.  18,  T.  33,  R.  5,  and  in  the 
winter  of  1831  built  a  cabin  in  the  ravine  near  the 
Dr.  Ward  place,  the  first  cabin  built  in  Marseilles, 
and  where  James  Richey  was  born,  the  first  birth  in 
what  is  now  Marseilles.  William  W.  sowed  a 
small  patch  of  wheat  where  the  sod  had  been  killed 


312  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

by  Indian  cultivation  ;  he  got  some  wheat,  but,  what 
was  more  valuable,  unwittingly  got  a  pre-emption, 
and  as  he  and  his  father  were  on  the  same  quarter 
section,  they  were  each  entitled  to  a  float  on  eighty 
acres  elsewhere.  They  sold  their  floats  to  John  Green, 
for  which  he  entered  their  quarter  section  ;  they 
thus  secured  their  quarter  section  without  money 
and  without  price.  After  the  massacre  at  Indian 
Creek,  in  1832,  William  W.  went  to  Seneca  to  notify 
Abel  Sprague,  who  had  a  claim  there,  and  then 
moved  the  family  to  Ottawa.  The  father  was  a 
teamster  for  the  army,  and  the  son  enlisted  as  a 
soldier.  They  were  discharged  on  the  banks  of  the 
Wisconsin  river.  In  the  fall  they  heljDed  Ephraim 
Sprague,  Charles  Brown,  and  Richard  Hogaboom 
build  a  dam  and  dig  a  race  for  a  saw-mill  at  Mar- 
seilles. William  Richey  died  about  1842  ;  his  wife 
died  in  1839.  William  W  married  Widow  Green, 
and  lives  in  the  town  of  Brookfteld. 

Abner  Stebbins  came  from  New  York  in  1834  ; 
settled  on  S.  4,  T.  33,  R.  5.  George  W.  Brumback 
says  he  was  the  best  axe  man  he  ever  knew,  the 
best  worker  and  most  honest  man ;  he  went  to 
Iowa. 

Abdolonymus  Stebbins,  brother  of  Abner,  and 
wife,  Julia  Webber,  came  from  New  York  in  188.5, 
and  settled  on  S.  8,  T.  33,  R.  5.  Had  ten  children. 
Brumback  says  he  was  not  so  good  a  worker  but  a 
better  talker  than  Abner  ;  that  he  was  a  staunch 
Whig,  in  favor  of  internal  improvements,  of  devel- 
oping manufactures,  arts  and  sciences,  and  delighted 
in  talking  on  these  subjects  by  the  hour  ;  that  there 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Manlius.  313 

have  been  bigger  fools  in  the  United  States  Senate 
than  Abdolonymus ;  that  the  good  seed  sown  by 
him  is  still  bearing  frnit ;  but  that  his  Democratic 
neighbors  held  him  and  his  political  heresies  in  utter 
contempt.  His  children  were  :  Henry,  married  Mary 
Ann  Pope,  his  second  wife  was  Miss  Bignal,  is 
now  in  Iowa  ;  Louana,  married  Jacob  Reser,  of  Pon- 
tiac  ;  Lorinda,  married  Volney  Wood,  both  are  de- 
ceased ;  Mary,  died  single  ;  Louisa,  married  Gale 
Waterman,  of  Seneca ;  Emery,  married  Laura  Lam- 
my,  of  Iowa ;  Edgar,  is  in  Missouri ;  Austin,  mar- 
ried Miss  Wiley,  now  in  Florida.  There  are  two 
younger  sons. 

Lovell  Kimball,  from  Watertown,  Jefferson  Co., 
'New  York,  came  in  1833.  Brumback  says  there  has 
never  been  a  man  of  greater  abilities  in  Marseilles, 
except  Daniel  Webster,  and  he  stayed  only  one 
night.  Kimball  was  an  active  business  man,  ener- 
getic, venturesome  and  unscrupulous  ;  he  built  a 
saw-mill,  and  in  1840  was  a  member  and  agent  of  a 
company  that  erected  the  best  flouring  mill,  probably 
then  in  the  State  ;  it  had  eight  run  of  stone,  was 
forty  feet  high  above  the  foundation,  and  every  way 
complete. 

When  Kimball  commenced  his  improvement  he 
found  Ephraim  Sprague  in  possession  of  a  part  of 
the  water  privilege,  owning  and  running  a  saw-mill. 
Kimball  so  made  his  dam  as  to  flood  out  the  privi- 
lege of  Sprague,  and  as  Sprague  had  no  title  but  a 
claim  on  Government  land,  he  found  himself  dis- 
possessed of  his  little  property  with  no  redress  but 
Kimball's  generosity,  and  as  that  did  not  serve,   he 


314  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

left  in  despair,  and  as  lie  did  so,  he  raised  his  hands 
and  prayed  that  water  miglit  wash  away,  and  fire 
burn  all  in  Marseilles,  as  long  as  the  memory  of 
Kimball  sliould  last.  This  is  related  by  the  old 
settlers  of  Marseilles,  and  is  called  "Sprague's 
curse."  Kimball's  saw-mill  and  the  flouring  mill 
were  burned  on  the  night  of  the  18th  of  May,  1842  ; 
he  rebuilt  the  saw-mill,  but  never  recovered  from  the 
loss,  as,  by  some  quibble,  the  Insurance  Company 
evaded  payment,  and  the  flouring  mill  was  never 
rebuilt.  The  members  of  the  Marseilles  company 
that  built  the  mill  were  :  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  of 
Chicago ;  Robert  P.  Woodworth,  James  A.  Wood- 
worth,  Lovell  Kimball,  Augustus  Butterfield,  Wm. 
Whipple,  and  James  Brown.  Kimball  died  in 
1848  or  9  ;  after  Kimball's  death,  his  widow  married 
Orville  Cone,  of  Morris  ;  she  died  in  1875. 

L.  S.  P.  Moore,  from  Vermont,  came  in  1838  ;  a 
wagon  maker  by  trade.  He  married  Jemima  Reser, 
and  is  still  living  in  Marseilles. 

Vivaldi  More}^,  came  from  New  York  to  Illinois,  in 
1837,  with  his  wife,  Emily  Brown,  and  settled  on  S. 
32,  T.  34,  R.  5 ;  went  to  Kendall  County  for  five 
years  ;  now  living  in  Marseilles.  His  children  are  : 
Sarah,  who  married  Melvin  Prescott,  of  Marseilles  ; 
Wm.  A.,  married  H.  C.  Belknap,  his  second  wife  was 
A.  P.  Skinner — he  is  a  lawyer,  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  Town  and  City  Clerk  ;  Frances,  married  H.  G. 
Peister ;  Emily  A.,  married  F.  W.  Simpson,  and 
Nettie,  married  R.  W.  Kilbourn,  all  of  Marseilles. 

Hanson  Morey,  came  from  New  York  in  1835,  and 
settled  on  S.  8,  T,  33,  R.  5  ;  left  in  about  two  years. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Manlius.  815 

Nelson  Morey,  brother  of  tlie  above,  came  about 
the  same  time  and  went  to  Texas. 

John  Harrington,  from  England  to  New  York  in 
1836  ;  bachelor  ;  grain  dealer  in  Marseilles. 

Thos.  Harrington,  brother  of  above,  was  drowned 
at  the  time  of  the  flood  in  1838.  The  ice  gorged 
on  the  island  below  Marseilles,  and  flooded  nearly  the 
whole  town, 

Joseph  Brumback,  from  Licking  Co.,  Ohio,  ar- 
rived here  Aug.  3,  1 832,  built  a  cabin  on  S.  6,  T.  33, 
R.  5,  and  lived  in  it  nineteen  years.  His  neighbors 
very  appropriately  called  him  the  Patriarch  Joseph, 
as  he  had  nineteen  children  and  eight  step-children. 
His  flrst  wife  was  Mary  Parr,  who  died,  leaving  four 
children ;  George  W.,  lives  in  Manlius,  is  County 
Surveyor  of  La  Salle  County  ;  Elizabeth  and  Mary, 
are  dead  ;  Samuel,  lives  at  Odell.  His  second  wife 
was  Margaret  Oatman  ;  she  died  in  1842  ;  had  one 
child,  Margaret,  now  dead.  His  third  wife  was 
Comfort  Young,  who  died  in  1858  ;  had  eight  child- 
ren :  Newton  W.,  Jervis  J.,  both  in  Bates  Count}^, 
Mo.  ;  Ada  Perkins,  Grundy  County  ;  Joseph  Jefler- 
son,  Livingston  County  ;  John  Howey,  Merritt  M. , 
and  Oby  David,  all  in  Odell ;  Nite  E.  died.  His 
fourth  wife  was  Margaret  Hart  ;  had  six  children  : 
Ella,  Viola,  Mirza,  L-a  E.,  Ezra  H.,  and  Oliver  C, 
who  are  all  at  home. 

Christopher  Massey,  and  wife,  Sarah  Bennett, 
from  New  England  to  Hlinois  in  1838.  He  died  in 
1877 ;  his  widow  is  living.  He  left  three  children  : 
Ann,  married  Jas.  Mossman,  her  second  husband 
was  Mr.  Jacobs  ;  Susan,  married  George  Turner,  of 
Indiana  ;  Charles,  is  in  Grundy  County. 


316  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Jonathan  Massey,  brother  of  Christopher,  came  at 
the  same  time.  His  wife  was  Xancy  Dow.  He  died 
in  1866,  and  his  widow  died  in  1876.  He  left  five 
children  :  Adeline,  married  Mr.  Houghton,  of  Michi- 
gan :  Stillman  E.,  married  Miss  McEwen,  and  lives 
in  Morris ;  Mja-a,  married  Mr.  Pettis,  of  Morris ; 
Horace  and  Lizzie,  are  single. 

Israel  Massey,  brother  of  the  foregoing,  came  at 
the  same  time,  with  his  wife,  Phebe  Gardner.  Has 
five  children  :  Warren,  married  Caroline  Barbour, 
and  lives  in  Nebraska  ;  Mary  A.,  married  Mr.  Young 
of  the  City  of  Washington  :  Gordon,  is  in  Chicago  ; 
Sylvanus,  is  dead  ;  Frank,  is  in  Nebraska. 

Dr.  Robert  P.  Woodworth,  fi'om  New  York,  1837, 
one  of  the  firm  that  built  the  Marseilles  Mill, 
went  to  Ottawa,  was  postmaster  and  merchant  ; 
moved  to  Peru ;  was  killed  by  an  accidental  gun- 
shot wound  while  hunting. 

Jas.  H.  W^oodworth,  brother  of  the  above,  from 
New  York,  1837,  also  one  of  the  Marseilles  mill 
firm:  after  the  burning  of  the  mill  moved  to  Chicago; 
was  a  member  of  Congress  one  term,  and  died  at 
Evanston. 

David  Olmstead,  and  wife,  Mary  Linderman, 
from  Tioga  County,  New  York,  1833  ;  settled  on  S. 
10,  T.  33,  R.  5:  died  1846.  They  had  eleven 
children  :  Dea.  Hiram,  settled  on  a  farm  in  Free- 
dom, now  in  Ottawa,  married  the  widow  of  Rev. 
Chas.  Harding,  had  four  children ;  Allen,  married 
Mercy  Baker,  live  in  Marseilles ;  Lewis,  married 
Lydia  Ackley  at  Marseilles  :  Edward  A.,  in  Grundy 
County ;   Sally  Ann,  married  Lewis  Linderman  in 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Manlius.  317 


Boone  County;  Anson,  married  Phebe  M.  Jameson  ; 
Wesley,  is  a  Methodist  Episcopal  preacher  in  Min- 
nesota ;  Ann,  Mary  and  William,  with  their  mother, 
moved  to  Minnesota  ;  Curtis,  is  in  McLean  County. 

Ephraim  Sprague  came  first  to  Ottawa,  and  to 
Marseilles  in  the  spring  of  1833 ;  built  a  dam  and 
saw-mill,  completed  in  the  fall  of  1833.  A  dam  built 
below  him  ruining  his  mill  power,  he  moved  to 
Grundy  County. 

Abel  Sprague  made  a  claim  near  where  Seneca 
now  is,  on  the  Crotty  place,  sold  the  claim  to  two 
young  men  by  the  name  of  Stocking,  and  they 
sold  to  one  Carter,  who  afterwards  abandoned 
it.  In  1841,  when  work  was  resumed  on  the  canal, 
Jeremiah  Crotty  occupied  it. 

Dolphus  Clark,  and  wife,  Sally  Loring,  from 
Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  fall  of  1836  settled  on 
S.  5,  T.  33,  R.  5  ;  first  a  farmer  ;  present  residence 
in  Marseilles.  Children :  Carlos,  married  Clarissa 
Dyke,  live  in  Nebraska  ;  Adaline,  married  Samuel 
Parr,  now  a  widow  in  Marseilles  ;  Mercy,  married 
Sylvester  Renfrew,  live  in  Nebraska  ;  Sally  Ann, 
married  D.  A.  Nicholson  in  Marseilles  ;  Caroline, 
married  H.  W.  Morey,  died  from  the  bite  of  a 
rattlesnake  ;  John,  married  Mary  Jane  Kerns,  lives 
in  Iroquois  County  ;  Mary,  married  Ebenezer  Bar- 
bour in  Marseilles  ;  Richard,  married  Mary  Parr  in 
Nebraska  ;  Clara  M.,  married  F.  E.  Titus  in  Morris, 
Grundy  County. 

Wm.  R.  Loring,  from  New  York,  came  here  in 
1838,  married  Jane  Micca,  and  settled  on  S.  32,  T.  34, 
R.  5 ;  now  in  Benton  County,  Iowa. 


318  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Jacob  Reser,  from  New  York,  came  here  in  1838  ; 
died  thirty  years  since,  leaving  five  children,  two 
now  living:  Jacob,  Jr.,  married  Louana  Stebbins, 
and  settled  on  S.  2,  T.  33,  R.  5,  now  in  Livingston 
County  ;  Jemima,  married  L.  S.  P.  Moore,  and 
resides  in  Marseilles. 

Nathaniel  Neece,  and  wife,  Miss  Lewis,  came 
here  in  1836  ;  now  in  Iowa. 

James  Dyke,  and  wife,  Mary  Sabin,  from  Connec- 
ticut, came  here  in  1837,  settling  on  S.  5,  T.  33,  R. 
5  ;  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  a  tree,  February,  1844, 
leaving  a  widow  and  six  children,  all  now  dead  but 
one,  Eunice,  who  married  Perry  Baker,  and  lives  in 
Missouri. 

Seth  Otis,  father  in-law  to  A.  D.  Butterfield,  from 
Watertown,  N.  Y.,  resided  here  a  short  time.  Geo. 
W.  Brumback,  now  County  Surveyer  of  La  Salle 
County,  says  that  Otis'  family  were  well  educated 
and  intelligent ;  that  Mr.  Otis  came  to  his  father's, 
and  finding  their  stock  of  book  knowledge  was  con- 
tained in  one  Bible,  one  Methodist  hymn  book,  one 
Pike's  arithmetic,  an  old  work  on  chemistry  and 
Cobb's  speller,  very  generously,  and  unsolicited, 
loaned  them  a  portion  of  his  library,  of  which  they 
made  good  use.  The  next  season  the  neighbors  put 
up  a  small  log  school  house,  and  Otis'  daughter 
Mary,  now  Mrs.  Mancell  Talcott,  of  Chicago,  kept 
school  for  them.  Brumback  thinks  that  without 
Otis'  books,  and  Mary's  teaching,  some  other  person 
than  Geo.  W.  Brumback  would  be  County  Surveyor 
of  La  Salle  County  to-day.  Otis  soon  after  moved 
to  Chicago,  and  died  there  several  years  since. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  JManliiis.  319 

John  Loring,  and  wife,  Louisa  Micca,  from  Bloom- 
field,  Ontario  County,  New  York,  came  here  in 
1835,  and  settled  on  S.  31,  T.  31,  R.  5,  where  he 
still  resides.  They  have  five  children  :  Eliza  Jane, 
married  Milton  Peister,  of  Rutland  ;  Hulbert,  mar- 
ried Mary  Bosworth — his  wife  is  deceased,  and  he 
lives  with  his  father ;  George,  and  Alzina,  are  at 
home. 

David  Loring,  brother  of  John,  from  the  same 
place  to  Ohio  ;  came  here  in  1836.  Married  Eliza- 
beth Nichols,  and  settled  on  S.  5,  T.  33,  R.  5 ; 
removed  to  Nebraska. 

Richard  Ives,  from  Tompkins  County,  New  York, 
came  here  in  1835  ;  resided  here  about  eight  years, 
then  went  to  Will  County,  and  thence  to  Grundy 
County. 

Horace  Sabin  came  from  Connecticut  in  1836,  and 
died  in  1837.  His  widow  and  son  are  living  in 
Minnesota. 

David  Meacham  died  soon  after  his  settlement, 
leaving  three  or  four  children  ;  one  is  in  California, 
and  one  in  Grundy  County. 

Reuben  Simmons,  and  wife,  Susan  Kinney,  came 
from  New  York  in  1834,  and  settled  on  S.  4,  T.  33, 
R.  5.  Moved  to  Iowa  in  1855.  His  children  are  : 
Joshua,  Lois,  Melinda,  Eliza,  Emily,  and  Frank. 

Giles  W.  Jackson,  came  from  New  York  in  1836. 
He  married  Hannah  Jennings,  and  settled  on  S.  20, 
T.  33,  R  5.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Ottawa,  and  for 
several  years  was  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Jackson  &  Lockwood,  hardware  merchants.  He  is 
now  retired.     Mr.  Jackson  was  the  first  Supervisor 


320  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

of  the  town  of  Manilas,  has  been  Agent  of  the 
county  for  the  care  of  the  poor  and  poor  farm  for 
several  years,  and  Alderman  of  the  city.  His 
children  are:  Henry  A,,  in  Kansas;  Elizabeth,  is 
Mrs.  Morgan,  of  St.  Louis  ;  Harriet,  married  Chas. 
Catlin,  of  Ottawa. 

Samuel  Bullock,  from  Boston,  came  here  in  1834. 
He  married  Rlioda  Bailey,  daughter  of  John  Bailey, 
of  Vermillion.  He  left  his  family  in  1850  and  went 
to  California,  and  did  not  return.  Mrs.  Bullock 
died  in  1873.  Of  their  children,  Elisha  married 
Brintha  Hall,  in  Rutland  ;  Samuel  and  William  are 
in  Indiana ;  Martha  married  George  Jacobs,  in 
Nebraska. 


DEER  PARK. 


Deer  Park,  called  after  the  romantic  grotto  of 
that  name,  which  lies  within  its  borders,  is  com- 
posed of  that  part  of  T.  33,  R.  2,  lying  south  of  the  | 
niinois  river,  and  that  portion  of  T.  32,  R.  2,  lying 
north  of  the  Yermillion.  It  occujoies  the  point 
between  the  two  rivers,  and  is  nearly  in  the  shape 
of  a  triangle.  A  considerable  portion  of  its  territory 
is  covered  by  the  bottom  and  bluff  timber  along  the 
streams,  and  much  mineral  wealth  will  be  extracted 
from  those  bluffs  ;  coal,  fire  clay,  and  stone,  for  lime 
and  for  building  purposes,  exist  in  large  quantities. 
The  high  ridge  of  prairie  extending  through  Farm 
Ridge,  extends  through  this  town,  but  is  broader, 
giving  the  whole  town  a  high  rolling  face,  with  ex- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Deer  Park.  323 

cellent  drainage  ;  and  a  more  beautiful  section  of 
land  can  hardly  be  found  in  the  State. 

Martin  Reynolds,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Hitt,  came 
from  Champaign  County,  Ohio  ;  removed  to  Jack- 
sonville 111.,  in  1827,  and  in  1829  located  on  S.  29, 
T.  33,  R.  2,  in  present  town  of  Deer  Park ;  the  first 
settler  in  the  town.  For  the  purpose  of  securing 
educational  advantages  for  his  children,  in  1838  he 
removed  to  Ogle  County  and  assisted  in  establish- 
ing and  sustaining  the  Mt.  Morris  Academy.  He 
returned  to  his  farm  in  Deer  Park  in  1844,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death.  His  wife  died  in  1849,  leav- 
ing six  children,  (Mr.  Reynolds  subsequently  mar- 
ried the  widow  Thurston) :  Joseph,  married,  and 
lived  near  the  old  homestead,  where  he  died  in 
1870  ;  James  C,  married  Caroline  Clayton,  and  re- 
sides on  S.  28,  T.  33,  R.  2*  a  large  farmer  and  stock 
dealer,  has  been  Supervisor  of  the  town  several 
terms,  the  first  Anglo-Saxon  born  in  Deer  Park ; 
Robert,  occupies  the  old  homestead  ;  Margaret, 
married  B.  T.  Phelps,  and  lives  in  Ottawa  ;  Caro- 
line, married  Joseph  Gum  ;  Elizabeth,  married  L. 
P.  Sanger,  formerly  of  Ottawa  and  Joliet,  now  in 
Utah. 

Joseph  Reynolds,  brother  of  the  foregoing,  from 
Champaign  County,  Ohio,  came  to  Deer  Park  iu 
the  spring  of  1830,  where  his  three  sons.  Smith, 
Newton,  and  Milton,  had  located  the  previous  fall, 
on  what  is  now  the  Clayton  farm  ;  they  sold  the 
claim  to  Vroman,  and  located  at  Troy  Grove,  the 
first  settlers  in  that  locality. 

John  Wallace  came  from  Urbana,  Ohio,  with  his, 


824  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

family,  and  made  a  farm  on  the  point  of  prairie  just 
above  the  junction  of  the  Vermillion  and  Illinois 
and  between  the  two  rivers,  in  the  summer  of  1834. 
In  1838  he  removed  to  Ogle  County,  in  company 
with  Martin  Reynolds,  to  obtain  a  better  opportu- 
nity for  educating  their  children.  He  remained 
there  until  his  death  in  1854.  leaving  thirteen  chil- 
dren :  Eliza,  married  Caleb  Hitt,  brother  to  her  step- 
mother, Wallace's  second  wife,  and  Mrs.  Martin 
Reynolds ;  Mary  BeiTy,  died  single ;  Josiah,  was  a 
merchant,  and  died  in  Chicago  unmarried ;  William 
H.  L.,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  (see 
Ottawa) ;  Sarah  Ann,  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  R.  Shackle- 
ford,  of  Ohio ;  Thomas,  died  at  La  Salle  on  his 
way  home  from  Wisconsin  ;  Margaret,  died  single ; 
Martin  R.  M.,  was  Major  and  promoted  to  Lieut. 
Colonel  and  Colonel  of  4th  Cavalry,  and  breveted 
Brigadier- General — was  assessor  of  internal  revenue 
for  First  District,  Illinois,  and  in  November,  1869, 
was  elected  County  Judge  in  Chicago — his  wife  is 
Emma,  daughter  of  George  W.  Gilson — he  has  a 
large  family  ;  Barbara,  married  William  T.  Cooper, 
of  Polo,  Ogle  County ;  John  Fletcher,  died  of  yel- 
low fever,  in  Texas,  in  1867  ;  Elislia  Berrj^,  was  the 
first  of  the  family  born  in  La  Salle  County,  went 
South  in  1856,  and  has  not  been  heard  from  since 
1869  ;  Matthew  H.  W.,  enlisted  in  the  4th  cavalry 
and  was  drowned  at  Cairo  ;  Caleb  Hitt,  married  V. 
Belle,  youngest  daughter  of  Judge  T.  L.  Dickey, 
and  is  living  in  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Mrs.  Elsa  Strawn  Armstrong, from  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  leaving  her  husband  in  Ohio,  settled  on  Sec- 


Slcetch  of  Settlers  —Deer  Parle.  325 

tions  35  and  36,  T.  33,  R.  2,  in  town  of  Deer 
Park,  in  1831,  with  a  family  of  seven  children.  A 
woman  of  great  energy  and  business  capacity.  She 
died  in  1871,  aged  82  years.  Her  children  were  : 
John  S.,  living  in  town  of  Mission;  George  W,  in 
Brookfield ;  William  E.  died  in  Ottawa;  Joel  W., 
(see  below) ;  Jeremiah  died  in  California  ;  Perry  lives 
in  Morris,  Grundy  County,  lawyer  and  member  of 
the  legislature ;  and  one  son,  who  lives  in  California. 

Joel  W.  Armstrong  came  from  Ohio  with  his  moth- 
er's  family  in  1831,  married  Cordelia  Champlin,  and 
settled  on  Sections  35  and  36,  T.  33,  R.  2 ;  was  a  large 
farmer  and  stock  dealer ;  he  was  a  teamster  with 
the  army  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  when  a  mere  lad  ; 
he  held  the  office  of  County  Recorder ;  was  several 
terms  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Town  Supervisor  ;  a 
good  business  man  and  prominent  citizen.  He  died 
in  1871,  leaving  five  children.  Mulford,  his  oldest 
son,  died  before  his  father,  just  after  graduating  at 
the  Chicago  University  with  the  first  honors — much 
regretted ;  was  a  young  man  of  great  promise. 
Nellie  married  E.  C.  Lewis,  and  lives  on  the  old 
homestead  ;  Julia  married  Isaac  Smead,  and  lives  at 
Normal ;  Cora,  Walter  and  Hart  are  at  home. 

Judge  Isaac  Dimmick,  and  wife,  Clarissa  Norton, 
from  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  came  West  in  the  spring 
of  1833  ;  he  returned  and  brought  out  his  family  in 
the  fall,  and  located  at  Vermillionville.  He  laid  out 
and  was  the  owner  of  the  town  of  Vermillionville, 
which  promised  well  for  a  time,  but  like  many  other 
towns  of  that  day,  refused  to  grow  faster  than  the 
surrounding  country,  and  was  forced,  with  them, 


326  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

eventually  to  yield  the  palm  to  the  railroad  centres. 
Mr.  Dimmick  held  the  office  of  Judge  in  Pennsj^l- 
vania,  and  was  County  Commissioner  for  several 
terms  here.  He  removed  to  Ottaw^a,  where  he  died, 
aged  91.  His  children  were:  Lawrence  W.,  who 
came  with  his  father  in  1833,  married  Cynthia  Jenks, 
was  Deputy  Surveyor,  and  settled  on  T.  32,  R.  2, 
where  he  died  in  1852 ;  Esther,  married  Dea. 
Wood,  she  died  in  1856;  Dr.  L.  N.,  a  physician, 
married  and  practiced  at  Freedom,  then  at  Ottawa, 
where  he  kept  a  drug  store,  and  is  now  living  at 
Santa  Barbara,  California;  Philo  C,  married  Sarah 
Yost,  and  for  his  second  wife,  Miss  Stewart — occupied 
the  old  farm,  then  joined  his  brother  in  the  drug 
store  in  Ottawa,  now  at  Santa  Barbara,  California ; 
Ann,  with  her  mother,  lives  in  Ottawa  ;  Olive,  is 
now  the  widow  of  James  Van  Doren,  and  lives  in 
Ottawa. 

Dr.  James  T.  Bullock,  from  Rehoboth,  Mass. 
He  left  there  for  Illinois  in  1835,  by  the  way  of 
Providence,  New  York,  Albany,  Cleveland,  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio,  and  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers,  and  reached  La  Salle  County  on  January 
2d,  1836.  He  settled  at  Vermillionville,  and  at  once 
commenced  practice  as  a  physician,  which  he  fol- 
lowed successfully  for  forty  years.  His  literary 
education  was  completed  at  Brown  University, 
Rhode  Island,  and  he  took  his  medical  course  at 
Boston.  He  died  October,  1875,  highly  respected  as 
a  man  and  physician.  He  married  Nancy  Barrows 
of  Massachusetts,  who  survives  him.  His  children 
are :  Sarah,  who  married  Rev.  Mr.  Dickinson,  and 


Sketcli  of  Settlers  —  Deer  Park.  327 

lives  in  Massachusetts;  Ella  married  Robt. Galloway, 
who  died  in  1869,  she  is  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Hay, 
and  is  living  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming  Territory  ; 
Frank  W.  married  Agnes  Baird,  is  a  physician,  and 
succeeds  to  his  father's  practice;  Lena  lives  with 
her  mother. 

John  Hollinger,  from  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  in 
1833 ;  settled  on  Section  4,  T.  82,  E.  2 ;  died  Jan. 
4th,  1836.  His  widow  married  Thomas  J.  Potter  in 
1838,  and  died  September  3d,  1840.  The  Hollinger 
childreii  are:  John  D.,  who  married,  and  lives  at 
Granville,  Putnam  County;  Martin  H.,  married, 
and  lives  in  Page  County,  Iowa ;  Maria  H.  is  dead; 
Harry  C,  married,  a  physician  at  Salt  Lake  City ; 
Wm.  S.,  married,  living  in  De  Witt  County,  Iowa  ; 
Elizabeth,  deceased ;  Caroline  S.,  wife  of  James 
Holman,  of  Deer  Park  ;  Mary  A.  Barbary,  married, 
and  moved  to  Iowa,  both  herself  and  husband  were 
killed  by  lightning. 

Jason  Wis  wall,  from  Susquehanna  County,  Pa., 
spring  of  1833,  by  way  of  Ohio,  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  rivers,  and  by  Chicago  home.  In  1835,  in 
company  with  Enos  Thatcher,  came  through  from 
Pennsylvania  by  wagon,  with  his  wife,  Sally 
Stanley,  and  family,  and  settled  on  S.  12,  T.  82,  R.  2. 
He  died  in  18Y5,  aged  92,  a  quiet,  honest,  worthy 
man.  His  wife  died  1852.  His  children  were :  Jason 
P.  and  William  ;  Emily,  wife  of  Matthew  R.  Coon  ; 
Jane,  wife  of  Cook  Elliott  and  afterwards  of  Harvey 
Kingsley. 

Jason  P.  Wiswall,  son  of  above,  and  wife,  Julia 
Dimmick,  came  from  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  by 


328  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

way  of  Chicago,  fall  of  1833,  made  a  farm  on  S.  10, 
and  in  1835  sold  claim  to  E.  and  R.  B.  Williams  and 
located  on  Sees.  12  and  13,  T.  82,  R.  2,  where  he  is 
now  living;  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several 
years,  and  Town  Supervisor.  His  children  are : 
Adaline,  who  married  Jacob  Cad  well,  and  lives  in 
California ;  Hannah,  married  Alfred  Symonds,  and 
lives  in  California  ;  Caroline,  married  M.  McMillan, 
now  in  Iowa  ;  Harriet,  married  Alexander  Cad  well, 
now  in  California  ;  Julia,  married  O.  Paine,  lives  in 
La  Salle  County ;  Jerusha,  married  James  Garri- 
son, at  Grand  Ridge,  111.  ;  Edwin,  at  home. 

William  Wiswall,  brother  of  Jason  P.,  and  wife, 
Louisa  Case,  from  same  place,  came  by  the  rivers 
in  the  fall  of  1S34 ;  settled  on  S.  12,  T.  32,  R,  2. 
His  wife  died  in  1856.  With  his  two  sons,  Bruce 
and  Ferris,  and  daughter  Sarah,  moved  to  Colorado. 

Jedediah  Beckwith,  and  wife,  from  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  in  1833  came  to  Hennepin,  Putnam  County, 
and  to  Deer  Park  in  1834 ;  made  a  farm  on  S.  13, 
T.  32,  R.  2.  ;  died,  1838 ;  leaving  two  children  : 
Horace,  married  Miss  Collins,  and  moved  to  Iowa ; 
Emily,  is  a  seamstress,  and  lives  at  Wenona,  this 
county. 

Bradish  Cummings,  and  wife,  Sophia  Sergeant, 
from  Ware,  Massachusetts,  in  1834,  settled  on  S.  11, 
T.  32.  R.  2.  His  wife  died  in  April,  1835.  He  mar- 
ried Betsey  Hatch,  from  Connecticut,  in  1836.  Sold 
his  farm  to  Nathan  Applebee,  and  moved  to  Brook- 
lyn, Iowa.  His  children  are  :  Sergeant,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Haj^s ;  Henry,  married  Mary  Peck ; 
William,  married  Susan  Crusen  ;  and  Charles — have 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Deer  ParTc.  829 

all  four  settled  in  Iowa ,  Sophia,  married  Samuel  J. 
Hayes,  and  lives  in  Farm  Ridf^e ;  Frances,  married 
Moreland  Francis,  and  lives  in  Iowa ;  Almira  and 
Maria,  children  of  the  second  wife,  went  with  their 
parents  to  Iowa, 

Camp  Hatch,  and  wife,  Miss  Ambler,  from  New 
Preston,  Ct.,  in  the  spring  of  1831.  settled  on  S.  9, 
T.  32,  R.  2.  He  died  in  the  fall  ot  1835.  His  widow 
married  Jabez  Whiting, 

Jabez  Whiting,  from  England,  came  to  Vermil- 
lionville  in  1836  ;  married  the  widow  of  Camp  Hatch, 
and  in  1869  or  '70  moved  to  Iowa.  Held  the  office 
of  Justice  of  the  Peace  one  term.  Had  two  sons : 
Adolphus  and  John— all  in  Iowa. 

Matthew  R,  Coon,  and  wife,  Emily  Wiswall,  from 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  fall  of  1834,  with  Williain 
Wiswall,  came  by  the  rivers,  and  settled  on  S.  12, 
T.  32,  R.  2  ;  moved  to  Iowa  about  1845,  and  from 
there  to  California,  where  he  died,  leaving  four 
children, 

Enos  Thatcher,  and  wife,  A.  Case,  came  from 
Pennsylvania  in  wagons,  with  Jason  Wiswall,  in 
1835,  and  settled  on  S.  12,  T  32,  R.  2  ;  served  as 
Constable  for  several  years  ;  a  teacher  and  leader  of 
sacred  music.  His  wife  died  in  1838  ;  his  son  Henry, 
and  daughter  Elizabeth,  who  married  Godfrey  Lin- 
coln, are  both  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Thatcher  married  a 
second  wife,  who  with  their  children,  George  and 
Celia,  reside  in  Livingston  County,  Mr.  Thatcher 
is  now  with  his  children  in  Oregon. 

Ephraim  Dimmick,  brother  of  Isaac  Dimmick, 
and  wife,  Jerusha  Dunham,  from  Wayne  County, 


22 


330  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Pa.,  in  the  fall  of  1833,  and  settled  on  S.  33,  T.  32, 
R.  2  ;  his  wife  died  in  1848  ;  he  is  still  living  with 
his  son-in-law,  J.  P.  Wiswall,  at  the  lipe  age  of  90. 
His  children  w^ere  one  son  and  three  daughters: 
Franklin,  who  married  Harriet  Hubbard,  and  set- 
tled on  S.  26,  T.  33,  R.  2— was  a  joiner  by  trade, 
and  a  successful  farmer — he  died  in  1866,  leaving 
eight  children  ;  Julia,  married  J.  P.  Wiswall  ; 
Sophia,  married  Lewis  Rugg,  and  resides  in  Pontiac  ; 
Minerva,  married  James  M.  Leonard — died  in  1875. 

Harvey  Hatch  (deaf  and  dumb),  came  from  New 
Preston,  Conn,,  a  brother  of  Dr.  Jethro  Hatch  and 
of  Mrs.  Bradish  Cummings,  settled  on  S.  10 ;  mar- 
ried, and  removed  to  Galesburg,  where  he  is  now 
living. 

Rev.  Thomas  Powell,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and 
his  wife,  Elizabeth  Day,  came  from  Saratoga,  N.Y., 
ill  June.  1836,  and  located  on  S.  14,  T.  32,  R.  2,  but 
resided  and  preached  at  Vermillionville  ;  was  pastor 
of  the  church  at  that  place  nine  years  ;  he  was  the 
pioneer  Baptist  of  this  region,  and  formed  a  large 
number  of  churches  in  La  Salle  and  adjoining 
counties  ,  he  was  a  faithful  and  earnest  worker,  and 
the  denomination  owes  him  a  debt  of  gratitude  for 
the  work  he  has  accomplished  ;  he  is  living  in  Ot- 
tawa in  good  health  at  a  ripe  old  age.  His  cliildren 
are  :  Euphemia,  widow  of  Mr.  Foote,  living  with  her 
daughter  in  Ottawa ;  Barbara  Ann,  married  Mr. 
Jacoby,  she  is  now  deceased  ;  William  T.,  is  now  in 
Cliicago  ;  Mary  E.,  married  H.  C.  Strawn,  and  lives 
in  Ottawa  ;  Sarah  P.,  is  deceased  ;  Benjamin  R.,  is 
in  Dubuque,  Iowa  ;  John  D.,  is  in  Chicago  ;  Truman 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Deer  Park.  331 

S.,  is  in  College  in  Missouri ;  Isaac  W.,  is  in  Pella 
University. 

Livingston  Jenks,  and  wife,  came  from  Bradford 
County,  Pa.,  in  1838;  settled  at  Vermillionville ; 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  years  ;  he 
died  at  Tonica  in  1870  ;  his  widow  died  in  1872.  His 
children  are  :  Oliver,  a  physician  in  Marengo,  111., 
Chancellor,  a  lawyer  in  Chicago ;  Charles,  is  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  Morgan  and  John,  are  in  Chicago  ;  Cynthia, 
is  the  widow  of  L.  W.  Dimmick  ;  Nancy,  is  mar- 
ried ;  Sarah,  married  Mr.  Shed  ;  Abbey,  is  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  Olive,  married  Dr.  Jennings,  and  they  are 
also  in  California. 

Charles  Jenks,  brother  of  Livingston,  a  bachelor ; 
lived  with  his  brother.     He  died  in  Chicago  in  1877. 

Ira  L.  Peck,  came  from  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  and 
settled  in  Vermillionville.  In  1835,  he  married  Miss 
Allen,  and  subsequently  a  second  wife ;  he  is  de- 
ceased ;  his  family  are  in  Iowa.  His  children  were  : 
Mary,  who  married  Henry  Cummings  ;  Ira,  is  mar- 
ried ;  Jane,  Wayland,  and  Julia,  are  at  home. 

David  Clark,  and  his  wife,  Debby  Ann  Gorbet, 
came  from  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  in  1836,  and 
settled  at  Vermillion,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade 
for  several  years,  then  removed  to  Utica,  and  is  now 
living  in  Waltham ;  a  good  blacksmith,  and  an 
honest  man. 

Andrew  Kirkpatrick,  and  his  wife,  Ann  Lefevre, 
came  from  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of 
1837,  and  settled  on  S.  8,  T.  32,  R.  2  ;  is  a  potter  by 
trade ;  and  for  several  years  carried  on  the  manu- 
facture of  stone  ware  ;  he  died  in  the  spring  of  1866, 


332  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

and  left  five  sons,  and  two  daughters  :  John,  married 
Rebecca  Brant,  2d  wife,  Mary  Mays,  now  in  Texas  ; 
iS'athaniel,  is  in  Southern  Illinois  ;  Sarah  Ann,  mar- 
ried Lloyd  C.  Knapp,  and  died  Jan.  6,  1857 ;  Corn- 
well,  and  Wallace,  manufacture  stone  ware,  at 
Anna,  Union  County ;  Andrew,  married  Anna 
Woodward,  and  died  in  1853 ;  Murray,  married 
Diantha  Baldwin,  and  lives  in  Lowell  ;  Mary  Jane, 
married  Alfred  Slater,  and  lives  at  Metropolis,  111. 

James  M.  Leonard,  came  from  Middleborough, 
Plymouth  County,  Mass.,  in  the  spring  of  1834,  and 
settled  at  Yermillionville.  He  married,  second  wife, 
Minerva  Dimmick.  In  company  with  Seth  Eaton, 
he  erected  a  dam  and  saw-mill  on  the  Yermillion, 
in  April,  1835,  and  completed  a  flouring  mill  in 
1836 ;  the  company  kept  a  store,  and  for  several 
years  did  a  heavy  business  in  the  flouring  mill,  but 
were  unfortunate  in  losing  their  dam  several  times. 
Mr.  Leonard  died  in  1852,  leaving  one  son  and  two 
daughters  by  his  first  wife,  and  one  son  and  one 
daughter  by  his  last  wife,  who  died  in  1874.  Man- 
ning Leonard,  son  of  above,  married  Miss  Sumner, 
and  died  at  Tonica,  in  1870 ;  Eliza  Ann,  married 
Charles  Todd,  who  died  of  cholera  at  La  Salle  in 
1S52  :  Fanny,  died  in  1852. 

Seth  Eaton,  came  from  Middleborough,  Plymouth 
County,  Massachusetts,  in  September,  1834,  and 
settled  at  Yermillionville  ;  was  partner  with  James 
M.  Leonard,  in  a  store,  saw,  and  flouring  mill,  and 
is  now  residing  in  the  town'  of  Yermillion  ;  his 
wife,  Miss  Allen,  died,  and  he  afterward  married 
Maria  Bailey,     His   son,  Frank,  was  killed  in  the 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —Deer  Park.  333 

battle  at  Fort  Donaldson.  The  children  of  his  last 
wife  are  :  Clarence,  Sarah,  Belle,  and  Anna — all  at 
home. 

John  Beeson,  and  his  wife,  came  from  England  to 
New  York,  and  to  Illinois  in  1835,  and  settled  on  S, 
5,  T.  32,  R,  2.  He  was  a  radical  abolitionist,  and 
lectured  upon  anti-slavery,  temperance,  and  other 
reforms  ;  removed  to  Oregon,  and  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  red  man,  and  is  now  on  a  mission  to  the  In- 
dian reservations,  laboring  to  get  justice  done  to  the 
poor  Indian;  an  honest,  true,  but  over  zealous  friend 
of  humanity,  and  will  doubtless  find  wrongs  enough 
to  be  righted,  to  occupy  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  had  one  son,  Welburn,  who  is  residing  with  his 
mother,  in  Oregon. 

William  Wheatland,  and  his  wife,  came  from 
England,  to  Urbana,  Ohio,  and  from  there  here  in 
1835,  and  settled  on  S.  3,  T.  32,  R.  2  ;  he  was  a  local 
Methodist  preacher  ;  he  filled  a  humble  place  as  a 
preacher  among  the  few  early  settlers,  which  without 
him,  would  have  been  vacant ;  both  he  and  his  wife 
have  long  since  gone  the  way  of  all  the  earth.  •  He 
had  one  son,  Isaac,  of  Farm  Ridge. 

Edward  R.  Williams,  came  from  New  Milford, 
Connecticut,  in  the  summer  of  1835,  He  was  edu- 
cated as  a  cadet,  at  West  Point,  and  served  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  United  States  army,  for  five  years, 
when  he  resigned,  and  came  to  Illinois.  He  settled 
on  S.  34,  T.  33,  R.  2,  where  he  still  resides.  He 
married  Huldah  Kent,  and  has  four  children. 

Robert  B.  Williams,  brother  to  Edward  R.,  from 
the  same  place,  and  came  at  the   same  time,  and 


334  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

settled  on  S.  10,  T.  32,  R.  2.  He  married  Miss 
Allen  ;  after  her  death,  he  married  Sarah  Herring- 
ton,  who  lived  but  a  short  time  ;  his  third  wife  was 
the  widow  Beach,  from  Connecticut,  who  also  died 
in  18T2.  He  has  two  children  :  Jehiel,  who  married 
Lncy  White,  and  lives  in  Deer  Park ;  and  Henri- 
etta, who  married  a  Mr,  Holeman,  and  lives  with  her 
father. 

William  Clayton,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Punt- 
ney,  came  from  near  Wellsburg,  Virginia,  and 
settled  on  S.  28,  T.  33,  R.  2,  in  1834.  He  bought 
the  claim  of  Esdell,  who  bought  of  Vroman.  Vro- 
man  bought  his  claim  of  Re^^nolds,  and  sold  to 
Esdell,  who  got  badly  frozen  on  the  prairie,  and 
died  at  Martin  Reynolds'.  His  administrator,  Jo- 
siah  Seybold,  sold  the  claim  to  William  Clayton. 
Mr.  Clayton  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  Town  Supervisor,  but  has  little  taste  for 
office,  preferring  the  quiet  of  his  farming  operations, 
in  which  he  has  been  very  successful,  accumulating 
a  handsome  property.  His  wife  died  in  1875.  His 
children  are:  James,  who  married  Sarah  Clayton, 
and  settled  on  S.  21 — removed  to  Colorado,  and  was 
murdered  when  out  prospecting  ;  Caroline,  married 
James  C.  Reynolds ;  Sarah,  married  David  Dick, 
who  lives  on  S.  22  ;  William  married  Miss  Ostrander, 
and  lives  on  S.  32  ;  John,  married  Julia  Suydam, 
and  lives  adjoining  William — both  are  successful 
and  prosperous  farmers  ;  George,  went  to  Colorado, 
and  while  taking  a  drove  of  cattle  and  horses  from 
New  Mexico  to  Colorado  was  murdered,  probably  by 
his  Mexican  assistants — his  body  was  found  unburied 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Deer  Parle.  335 


with  the  fatal  bullet-hole  in  his  head  ;  Manning, 
served  in  the  volunteer  service  in  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion, and  died  soon  after  his  return  from  the  army; 
Ellen,  is  unmarried,  and  lives  with  her  father. 

Alexander  Eaton,  from  Middleborough,  Mass., 
in  April,  1836  ;  married  Dorcas  Little,  from  Ply- 
mouth, N.  H.,  and  settled  on  S.  8,  T.  32,  R.  2 :  a 
farmer.  His  children  are:  Charles  L.,  married 
Abby  L.  White,  on  the  old  farm  ;  Julius  A.,  married 
Rosa  White,  and  lives  in  Deer  Park ;  Nellie  R., 
married  Homer  Palmer  in  Deer  Park ;  William, 
and  Lucia  T.,  are  at  home. 

John  Wood  came  from  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  No- 
vember, 1833,  and  settled  at  Vermillionville  ;  mar- 
ried Esther  Dimmick,  daughter  of  Judge  Isaac 
Dimmick.  He  was  the  first  Postmaster  at  Vermil- 
lionville ;  for  several  years  was  Deacon  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  and  is  now  Justice  of  the  Peace,  His 
wife  died  in  December,  1856,  after  which  he  married 
the  widow  Emma  J.  Lockwood.  His  first  wife  left 
two  children :  Newton,  who  married  Miss  Esmond, 
of  Livingston  County,  are  living  near  Odell,  in  that 
county  ;  Sarah,  married  a  Mr.  Mitchell,  and  is  now 
living  in  Indiana. 

George  Bronson,  from  Connecticut,  first  came  to 
Illinois  in  1834,  to  where  Streator  now  is.  Visited 
Michigan,  Ohio  and  California,  and  in  1853  married 
Priscilla  A,  German,  from  New  York,  and  settled 
in  Deer  Park, 

Robert  Brown,  and  wife,  Anna  White,  from  Eng- 
land, came  in  1838,  and  settled  at  Vermillionville  in 
1839,  and  both  died  the  same  year,  leaving  three 


336  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

cliildren:  Mary  B.,  married  William  Gia}^  and 
have  resided  in  Deer  Park ;  Emma,  married  a  Mr. 
Davis — her  second  husband  was  Mr.  Haines  ;  Rob- 
ert, died  of  cholera. 

William  Gray  came  from  Rhode  Island,  in  1837 ; 
a  carpenter  by  trade  ;  married  Mary  Brown,  and 
settled  and  still  lives  on  S.  2,  T.  33,  R.  2.  They  have 
two  children  :  Arthur,  who  married  Belle  Bane ; 
his  present  wife  is  Candace  Fuller — he  lives  in 
Streator  ;  Fanny,  married  James  Chase,  now  at  her 
father' s. 

Job  G.Lincoln  came  from  Middleborough,  Mass., 
with  William  Gray,  in  1837  ;  a  carpenter  b}^  trade. 
Married  Elizabeth  Thatcher,  and  settled  on  S.  2,  T, 
32,  R.  2  ;  removed  to  Oregon. 

John  Clark,  and  wife,  Sarah  Cook,  from  Grafton, 
N.  H.,  came  in  1839,  and  settled  on  S.  10,  T.  32,  R. 
2.  Mrs.  Clark  died  in  ]  845  ;  he  died  in  September, 
1872,  leaving  five  children :  Charles,  married  Olive 
Slater,  and  lives  in  Missouri ;  Moody,  died  single  ; 
John,  married  Rachel  Merritt,  and  lives  in  Bureau 
County  ;  Lydia,  married  William  Ellsworth,  and 
lives  on  the  old  farm  ;  Sarah,  married  John  Elliott, 
and  lives  in  Yermillion. 

Ebenezer  Little,  and  wife,  Phebe  Palmer,  from 
New  Hampshire,  in  1838,  and  settled  on  S.  9,  T.  32, 
R.  2.  He  died  in  September,  1839  ;  his  widow  died 
in  February,  1864.  They  left  seven  children: 
George,  is  married,  and  lives  in  Southern  Illinois ; 
Charles,  a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College,  came 
West,  in  1840,  and  died  soon  after  ;  Moses,  married 
Miss  Cook,  died  in   Iowa  ;   Fernal,  lives  in  South- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Deer  Park.  337 

ern  Illinois  ;  Mary,  is  the  wife  of  C.  Dryer,  and 
lives  at  Lowell  ;  Dorcas  D.,  married  Alexander 
Eaton ;  Sarah,  married  Henry  Thatcher,  and  lives  in 
Oregon  ;  Elizabeth  B.,  is  the  wife  of  John  More- 
head,  of  Yermillionville  ;  Alice,  married  E.  Leaven- 
worth, and  died  in  Southern  Illinois. 

Luther  Woodward,  and  wife,  Sarah  Knapp,  from 
Taunton,  Mass.,  came  in  1836,  and  settled  on  S.  10, 
T.  32,  R.  2 ;  he  built  a  dam  and  saw-mill  on  the 
Vermillion  ;  became  involved  in  an  unfortunate  law- 
suit with  the  firm  of  Seeley  &  Elliott  in  relation  to 
the  water  privilege,  which  crippled  and  injured  the 
usefulness  of  both  firms.  Woodward  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1850,  and  returned  in  1853,  and  died  in 
1857  ;  his  wife  died  in  1842.  He  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  terms.  He  left  eight 
children :  Sarah,  married  John  Wilson,  of  Deer 
Park,  is  now  dead  ;  Lucinda,  married  Alonzo 
Beardsley,  of  Sterling ;  Anna,  married  Andrew 
Kirkpatrick,  her  second  husband  was  Asa  Hold- 
ridge,  of  Tonica  ;  Martin  S.,  died  young  ;  Oliver 
Cromwell,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Hartsville ; 
Emma,  married  Frank  McCall  ;  Jane,  married  and 
went  to  California  ;  Helen  J.,  married  J.  Burgess. 

Sheldon  Cad  well,  from  Middletown,  Ct.,  and  wife, 
Aphia  Van  Valkenburgh,  from  Green  County,  N.  Y., 
settled  at  Vermillionville,  in  1836  ;  he  was  a  tinner 
by  trade  ;  he  moved  on  to  S.  29,  T.  33,  R.  2,  in 
1839,  and  followed  farming  until  his  death,  in  1853, 
aged  60.  His  widow  died  in  1876,  aged  81,  leaving 
six  living  children  :  Cushman,  married  Maria  Green- 
field, and  removed  to  Kansas  ;  Charlotte,  married 


338  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Dr.  Thomas  W.  Hennesey,  of  La  Salle,  now  living  in 
Dimmick  ;  Alexander,  married  Harriet  Wiswall, 
they  are  living  in  California ;  Sheldon,  is  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  married  Martha  Adams,  and  lives  in 
Deer  Park  ;  Jacob,  married  Adeline  Wiswall,  they 
are  in  California  ;  Lyman,  married  Cordelia  Brown, 
now  in  Iroquois  County;  George, married  Mary  Eliza- 
beth King,  and  occupies  the  old  homestead. 

Michael  O'Connor  and  wife,  Sarah  Lane,  from 
Ireland  to  New  York,  from  there  to  La  Salle,  and 
on  to  S.  36,  T.  33,  R.  2,  in  1838.  Four  sons,  John, 
Thomas,  Michael  and  Martin,  were  born  in  Ireland ; 
Elizabeth,  married ;  Elias,  May  and  Edward,  at 
home.  Mr.  O'Connor  is  deceased.  He  gave  each 
child  eighty  acres  of  land ;  to  William,  who  is  in- 
sane, 160  ;  to  the  widow  and  two  youngest  children, 
160.     He  died  about  1866. 

Obadiah  Brown,  from  Vermont  in  1837  or  '8. 
Settled  on  S.  26,  T.  33,  R.  2.  Moved  West  about 
1840. 

Peter  Trout,  and  wife,  Leah  Brady,  from  Ohio  in 
1840.  Was  here  about  five  years  ;  went  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  died  there. 

Jacob  Roan,  from  Ohio  in  the  fall  of  1840.  Mar- 
ried Phebe  M.  Trout,  and  is  now  living  in  Tonica. 

Hiram  Trout,  from  Ohio  in  1839.  Now  living  at 
Vermillionville. 

William  Turner,  from  Kentucky  in  1839.  Settled 
on  Section  35.  He  married  Nancy  Argabright. 
They  both  died  of  milk  sickness  near  the  same  time, 
leaving  nine  children  :  Fletcher,  Arthur,  Elizabeth, 
Jane,  Melissa,  James,  John,  Martha,  and  George. 


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Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Bruce.  341 

Alva  Lee,  from  Pennsylvania.  Settled  near  Low- 
ell, and  run  the  Lowell  saw-mill.  He  went  to  Utica, 
and  then  down  the  river. 

Mr.  Argubright,  from  Ohio.  Settled  in  the  west 
part  of  Deer  Park  about  1887  or  '8.  He  died  soon, 
leaving  several  children  :  Andrew,  married  Cath- 
arine Trout,  and  died  in  1847  ;  Jacob  ;  Nancy,  mar- 
ried William  Turner  ;   and  James. 

Micah  Pratt,  from  Massachusetts  about  1838. 
Manufactured  brick  near  Lowell,  and  then  settled 
on  Section  20,  where  he  died  in  1870.  One  daughter, 
married  Abner  Gray,  now  in  Livingston  County ; 
one  son,  Delbert,  died  in  the  army. 

Mr.  Fay  made  a  claim  on  Section  10  in  1833,  and 
in  1834  sold  to  Camp  Hatch. 

Mr.  Ellis,  from  Canada,  made  a  claim  on  Section 
11  in  1833,  and  sold  to  Norris.  Norris  made  a 
small  improvement,  sold,  and  left.  Ellis  died  soon 
after,  and  his  widow  became  insane. 

Mr.  McCoy  came  to  Yer  mil  lion  ville  in  1834,  and 
then  settled  on  S.  31,  T.  32,  R.  8.  He  sold  his  claim 
and  went  to  Livingston  County. 


BRUCE. 


The  town  of  Bruce  embraces  that  part  of  T.  31, 
R.  3,  which  lies  northeast  of  the  Vermillion  river. 
More  than  one-half  of  the  town  is  timber  land,  bor- 
dering the  Vermillion,  and  Otter,  Wolf  and  Prairie 
creeks.  Much  of  the  timber  was  of  superior  quality, 
and  the  attraction  which  made  this  locality  one  of 


342  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

the  early  settlements.  The  prairie  is  level,  and  the 
whole  town  is  underlaid  by  a  rich  deposit  of  coal. 
The  settlement  commenced  in  1831. 

George  Basore,  a  native  of  Virginia,  made  a  farm 
in  the  forests  of  Alabama,  another  in  the  heavy 
timber  of  Indiana,  and  from  there  moved  to  the 
prairie,  and  settled  on  S.  24,  T.  31,  R.  3,  in  1831. 
Mr.  Basore  had  a  physical  organization  and  powers 
of  endurance  that  admirably  fitted  him  for  frontier 
life,  and  a  genius  and  business  capacity  that  did 
him  good  service  when  living  isolated  from  society 
on  the  frontier.  He  was  a  successful  farmer ;  his 
family  manufactured  all  their  clothing  from  cotton 
and  wool,  when  at  the  South,  and  of  flax  and  wool 
at  the  North,  all  of  their  own  raising  ;  he  made  his 
sugar  and  molasses  from  the  maples  on  his  farm, 
and  with  honey  from  his  apiary,  supplied  all  his 
wants  in  that  direction  ;  he  tanned  the  hides  of  his 
own  raising,  and  from  the  leather  thus  produced, 
made  his  harness,  boots  and  shoes ;  he  owned  a 
blacksmith  shop  and  tools,  did  his  own  blacksmith- 
ing,  and  much  for  his  neighbors.  He  was  more 
independent  of  the  rest  of  the  world  than  civilized 
man  often  is.  This  capacity  for  all  kinds  of  busi- 
ness was,  from  necessity,  to  some  extent,  acquired 
by  all  the  pioneers.  Mr.  Basore  married,  for  his 
second  wife,  the  widow  of  John  Wood ;  he  died  in 
1860. 

Calloway  Basore,  son  of  the  foregoing,  married 
Setter's  sister,  and  died  of  cholera,  just  after  return- 
ing from  the  land  sale,  in  1835.  His  widow  married 
William  Rainey,  and  after  his  death,  she  married 
Isaac  Painter. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Bruce.  '  343 

William  Morgan,  from  Fayette  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, came  in  1833,  and  made  a  claim  on  the  north 
part  of  S.  4,  T.  31,  R.  3.  In  the  spring  of  1834,  he 
sold  his  claim  to  Gaylord  Hayes,  and  moved  to  the 
south  part  of  the  same  Section.  In  the  winter  of 
1835-6,  when  returning  from  Green' s  Mill,  at  Day- 
ton, he  was  benighted  on  the  prairie,  and  the  next 
day  was  found  frozen,  by  his  neighbors,  within  two 
or  three  miles  of  his  home. 

John  Morgan,  son  of  above,  settled  in  1833,  on  S. 
11 ;  went  East  in  1838,  and  returned  in  1842,  and 
finally  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  died. 

Mary  Morgan,  daughter  of  William,  married  Wil- 
liam McCormick.  A  sister  of  above,  married  John 
McCormick,  and  Ann,  married  Rush  Mackey. 
Eliza,  married  Thomas  Sturgess. 

Nathan  Morgan,  brother  of  William,  from  the 
same  place,  a  bachelor,  came  in  1835  ;  he  died  in 
1836. 

Thomas  Sturgess,  from  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  in 
1834  ;  went  to  Wisconsin. 

John  and  David  Sotter,  from  Indiana,  in  1834; 
John  died  soon,  and  David  returned  to  Indiana. 

William  Rainey,  from  Kentucky,  first  came  to 
Ohio,  from  there  here  in  1833,  and  settled  on  S.  25  ; 
married  Sotter' s  sister,  widow  of  C.  Basore.  He 
died  many  years  since. 

Norton  Mackey,  from  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  in  1833, 
settled  on  S.  13.  In  1836,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  Samuel  Mackey,  and  John  Morgan,  laid  out 
the  town  of  Van  Buren  on  his  farm,  which,  like 
many   others   laid  out  about  that  time,   exists  on 


344 "  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


paper  only,  the  blocks,  lots  and  streets  are  all  obliter- 
ated by  the  farmer's  plow. 

In  company  with  Samuel  Mackey,  he  built  a  saw- 
mill on  Otter  creek.  He  is  one  of  the  few  residing 
where  he  first  made  his  claim,  on  Government  land. 
He  married  Elizabeth  McCormick ;  has  six  children  : 
Libbeus,  married  Elizabeth  Law, is  living  near  the  old 
farm  ;  Charles,  married  Sarah  Morgan,  lives  at 
Fairbury  ;  Norton,  Jr.,  married  Jane  Barnhart ; 
Mary,  married  Thomas  Simpkins ;  Jane,  married 
Samuel  Barnhart ;   Winfield,  married  Sarah  Law. 

Eush  Mackey,  brother  of  Norton,  came  from 
Pennsylvania  at  the  same  time  ;  he  married  Ann 
Morgan,  and  has  lived  on  the  farm  owned  by  Wm. 
Morgan,  his  father-in-law.  He  has  five  children  : 
Burton ;  William  ;  Howard  ;  Rush,  Jr.  ;  Norval, 
married  Christina  Morse. 

Benjamin  Mackey,  brother  of  Rush,  from  Fayette 
County,  Pa.,  came  in  1833,  and  settled  on  Sec.  9. 
He  married  Mary  Shepherd,  and  still  lives  where  he 
first  settled.  He  has  eight  children :  Joseph,  mar- 
ried Harriet  Trout ;  George,  married  Mary  Morse  ; 
James,  Rebecca,  Jane,  Mariette,  William,  and  Ella. 

William  Donnell,  born  in  Ireland,  came  to  New 
York  in  1835,  and  to  La  Salle  County  in  1837,  and 
settled  on  Section  4;  married  Miss  T.  Mackey. 
Their  children  are :  Agnes,  Porter,  Margaret,  Alice, 
Mary,  and  Ross — all  at  home. 

Widow  Agnes  Mackey,  mother  of  Norton,  Sam- 
uel, Benjamin  and  Rush,  came  from  Pennsylvania 
with  her  sons  in  1833,  and  lived  with  them  until  her 
death,  Dec.  15,  1866. 


SketcJi  of  Settlers  —  Bruce.  345 

• 

Norton  Gum,  from  Rockingha-m  County,  Ya., 
in  1884  ;  died  in  the  summer  of  1835, 

Reuben  Hackett,  from  Indiana,  came  in  1836,  and 
settled  on  Section  9  ;  sold  to  Samuel  D.  Wauchope, 
and  removed  to  Ottawa  and  then  West ;  served  one 
term  as  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Sam'l  D.  Wauchope,  from  Ireland,  bought  Esquire 
Hackett' s  farm,  in  1837  ;  sold  his  farm,  and  located 
on  Section  2  ;  soon  after,  he  married  Elizabeth  Ha- 
mar,  of  Vermillion  ;  died  about  1860,  leaving  eight 
children  :  Sarah,  married  Winley  Stasen,  of  Farm 
Ridge ;  Samuel,  married  Mary  Wilson  ;  William 
John,  married  Jane  Wilson  ;  Thomas ;  Joseph, 
married  Olive  McCormick  ;  Arabella,  married  Mr, 
Sexton  ;  Jane,  married  Ward  King ;  Andrew,  mar- 
ried Martha  Ward. 

William  Reddick,  and  wife,  Eliza  Collins,  from 
Fayette  County,  Pa,,  came  in  1835,  and  settled  on 
Section  11.  He  was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  count}"  in 
1838,  and  served  as  Sheriff  eight  years,  since  which, 
he  has  resided  in  Ottawa.  A  leading  politician — 
he  has  been  a  member  of  both  houses  of  the  State 
legislature,  a  successful  merchant  and  farmer.  He 
is  wealthy,  but  has  no  children  to  inherit  his  estate. 

Gaylord  Hayes,  and  wife,  came  from  Barkham- 
stead,  Litchfield  County,  Ct.,  to  Hennepin  in  1833, 
and  moved  on  to  S.  4,  T.  31,  R.  3.  in  the  spring  of 
1834.  He  died  in  1837 ;  his  widow  died  several  years 
after.  He  left  five  children  :  Humphrey,  married 
Miss  Ellsworth  and  removed  to  California, now  dead; 
Mary,  married  Sargeant  Cummings,  they  live  in 
Iowa;  Samuel  J.,  married    Sophia  Cummings,   live 

23 


346  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

in  Farm  Ridge  ;  Philip  C,  married  Miss  Johnson, 
of  Ohio,  they  live  in  Morris ;  he  is  now  Congress- 
man elect  from  the  Seventh  Illinois  District :  E, 
Timothy,  lives  in  Marseilles;  James  H.,  of  Cornell, 
Livingston  County. 

"William  Bronson  came  from  New  Breston,  Ct..  in 
1837  ;  he  settled  on  Section  25.  where  he  still  lives. 
He  married  Eliza  Fulwilder,  has  been  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  has  had  five  children  :  William,  married 
Miss  Walworth,  and  lives  in  Streator ;  Mary,  died  ; 
George,  is  teaching  in  Streator ;  Frank  and  Ida,  are 
at  home. 

John  Fulwilder  came  from  Richland  County,  Ohio, 
in  1833,  and  made  a  farm  on  Section  25.  He  died  in 
1867,  leaving  three  children  :  Jackson,  married  Jane 
Benedict,  of  Livingston  County ;  Eliza,  married 
William  Bronson  ;  John,  deceased. 

Geo.  L.  Densmore,  and  wife,  Maria  Bronson,  came 
from  Woodbury,  Ct.,  in  1840,  lived  in  Ottawa  one 
year,  and  then  went  on  to  Section  25  ;  he  served  one 
term  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  died  in  1872.  His 
widow  occupies  the  old  farm,  with  Marius,  her  only 
son. 

Isaac  Painter  came  from  Columbus.  Ohio,  in  1837 : 
he. married  Nancy  Springer;  his  second  wife  was 
Wm.Raine3''s  widow.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  several  j^ears,  and  died  about  1870,  leaving  six 
children  :  Andrew,  married  Miss  Quigley  ;  Sarah  A. , 
married  Adelbert  Osborne ;  Uriah,  married  Sarah 
Elliott :  Jane,  married  AVillis  Baldwin  ;  Isaac,  mar- 
ried T.  L.  Freer ;  Joseph  H. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Eden.  347 


EDEN. 

The  town  of  Eden  embraces  Township  32,  of 
Range  1.  It  joins  the  Illinois  timber  on  the  north, 
and  Bailey's  Grove  on  the  east.  It  is  drained  by 
Bailey' s  and  Cedar  creeks,  which  run  to  the  Illinois 
and  Vermillion  rivers.  The  southwest  part  of  the 
town  is  high  land,  forming  the  divide  separating  the 
waters  that  run  north  to  the  Illinois  and  those  that 
run  to  Sandy  creek,  and  southwest  to  the  same 
stream.  It  is  a  fine  farming  region,  and  its  beauty 
and  fertility  suggested  the  name  it  so  well  bears. 

It  was  settled  at  an  early  day  along  the  north  and 
east  sides,  adjoining  the  timber,  then  considered 
indispensable.  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad  passed 
through  it,  near  its  eastern  boundary,  in  1853,  and 
the  prairie  portion  of  the  town  was  soon  converted 
into  farms.  Tonica  station,  on  the  Central  Railroad, 
sprang  up  immediately  after  the  road  was  built,  and 
has  had  a  steady  and  healthful  growth,  and  does 
a  large  business. 

Nathaniel  Richey,  and  his  wife,  Susanna  Kirk- 
patrick,  came  from  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  in 
1830  ;  came  through  the  wilderne^,  by  wagon,  and 
settled  on  Sees.  3  and  4,  T.  32,  R.  1.  Mr.  Richey 
sympathized  with  the  slave,  and  had  the  reputation 
of  kindly  entertaining  the  sable  sons  of  Africa  when 
traveling  toward  the  North  star,  and  freedom.  He 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  years :  he 
raised  a  large  family,  and  his  descendants  are  nu- 
merous. His  children  are  :  Sophia,  who  married 
James  Robinson,  now  deceased,  leaving  eleven  chil- 


348  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

clren ;  Mary,  married  Joseph  Robinson,  has  six 
children,  on  tlie  old  place  ;  David,  married  Margaret 
E.  Evans,  they  live  in  the  town  of  Eden — he  is  a 
farmer,  and  prominent  politician,  has  three  chil- 
dren; Sarah,  married  John  Hopkins,  lives  in 
Iowa,  and  has  seven  children  ;  Margaret,  married 
George  B.  Holmes,  lives  in  Kansas,  has  five  chil- 
dren ;  James,  married  Anna  Hamilton,  is  a  farmer  in 
the  town  of  Eden,  and  has  three  children  ;  Susanna, 
married  J.  F.  Evans,  lives  in  Iowa,  and  has  three 
children  ;  John  married  Nancy  Hall,  lives  in  Iowa, 
and  has  seven  children  ;  Esther  Ann,  died  young ; 
Elizabeth,  married  A.  P.  Landers,  lives  in  Mis- 
souri, has  five  children  ;  Nathaniel,  married  Bertha 
E.  Wilson,  and  lives  in  Tonica,  has  one  child. 

Dr.  David  Richey,  brother  of  the  above,  came 
from  the  same  place,  at  the  same  time  ;  was  here 
three  or  four  years,  then  removed  to  Putnam  County, 
and  resided  for  several  years  in  Livingston  County. 
He  died  August,  1877. 

David  Letts,  and  wife,  widow  Dunnavan,  from 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1830 ;  made  a  farm  on  S. 
4,  T.  32,  R.  1 ;  kept  a  store  at  Dayton,  and  at  Ot- 
tawa. He  was  School  Commissioner  of  the  county  ; 
removed  to  Louisa  County,  Iowa,  and  died  there, 
in  1852. 

N.  M.  Letts,  son  of  David,  married  Miss  Grove ; 
his  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Holderman ;  resided  on 
the  old  farm,  at  Cedar  Point,  till  1 854,  when  he  sold 
to  Franklin  Corwin,  from  Ohio,  and  moved  to  Iowa, 
and  is  living  at  Lettsville  ;  a  large  dealer  in  cattle. 

James  R.,  and  Noah  H.,  also  sons  of  David,  moved 
to  Iowa,  the  first  in  1855,  the  last  in  1861. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Eden.  349 


Natlianiel  Manville  came  from  Pennsylvania  in 
1835 ;  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Manville,  which,  like 
many  of  its  cotemporaries,  failed  to  be  a  town.  He 
died  in  the  south  part  of  the  State,  leaving  two 
daughters  :  Clarissa,  married  H.  L.  Owen  ;  Susan, 
married  E.  D.  Lockwood,  and  lives  on  the  old  place. 

John  Myers  came  from  Tennessee,  in  1840.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  John  Hays,  of  Peru,  and 
settled  on  Cedar  Creek  timber ;  he  bought  the  mill 
that  Simon  Crosiar  built,  on  Cedar  creek,  and  run 
it  some  years ;  an  eccentric  character,  such  as  is 
often  seen  on  the  frontier.  Kind  and  generous  at 
home,  he  was  wild  and  loquacious  when  he  visited 
the  town,  calling  himself  the  stallion  panther.  He 
became  restive  when  surrounded  by  civilization,  said 
the  Yankees  had  overrun  the  country,  and  he  left 
for  Missouri,  and  freedom,  but  came  back,  and  died 
here,  in  1846,  or  1847. 

John  Hendricks,  from  Virginia,  to  Indiana,  and 
came  here  in  1831.  His  mother  was  a  'daughter  of  a 
respectable  Virginia  planter,  who  eloped  with  and 
married  her  father's  coachman,  one  of  his  African 
chattels.  Under  the  laws  of  Hlinois  then,  he  could 
neither  vote  nor  testify  against  a  white  man  ;  yet  he 
was  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen.  He  bought 
the  Peru  ferry  of  Hays  in  1840,  and  run  it  several 
years  ;  he  removed  to  West  Missouri  or  Kansas,  and 
died  there. 

William  Kelly,  from  England,  came  to  Ohio,  and 
from  there  here  in  1835  ;  he  died  in  Iowa. 

Thomas  Wakeham,  from  Ohio,  came  here  in  1835  ; 
son-in-law  of  Kell}^ ;  died  in  Iowa. 


350  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Resolved  H.  Potter  was  born  in  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  and  settled  in  Green  County,  New  York,  in 
1828  ;  removed  to  Onondaga  and  then  to  Tioga 
Coiintj^,  New  York,  and  from  there  to  Illinois  in 
1834;  settled  on  S.  12,  T.  32,  R.  1  ;  deceased  in 
1842,  aged  60  years,  leaving  two  sons,  Champlin  R. 
and  Adam.  Adam  came  to  Illinois  with  his  father, 
and  returned  to  New  York  about  one  year  after. 

Champlin  R.  Potter,  son  of  Resolved  H..  with  his 
wife,  Mary  Jane  Richards,  came  from  New  York  with 
Ms  father  in  1834,  and  resided  on  the  same  farm. 
He  was  a  surveyor  ;  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  several  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature one  term  ;  he  died  Sept.  27,  1860,  aged  56, 
leaving  two  daughters  :  Catharine,  who  married  D. 
Darby  of  Wenona — died  1873  ;  Helen,  who  married 
Fred  Ambrose,  and  lives  with  her  mother  on  the  old 
farm  ;  a  son,  Adam,  died  about  1854. 

Joseph  T.  Bullock  came  from  Rehoboth,  Mass., 
in  1837,  and  settled  on  S.  36,  T.  32,  R.  1 ;  he  married 
Catharine  Galloway,  and  with  his  brother,  Leonard, 
engaged  largely  in  farming  and  stock-raising  ;  since 
his  brother's  death  he  has  continued  the  same  on  a 
large  scale.  He  has  two  children  :  Ransom,  mar- 
ried Ada  Ellsworth,  and  lives  near  Tonica ;  Susan, 
married  Henry  Foss,  now  in  Colorado. 

Asa  Holdridge,  from  New  York  in  June,  1833, 
and  settled  on  S.  25,  T.  32,  R.  1,  near  Bailey's 
Point ;  he  married  Polly  Warren  ;  was  a  successful 
farmer,  and  died  in  1866,  leaving  five  children: 
Lafayette,  married  Hannah  Simmons,  and  lives  in 
Livingston  County  ;  W.  H.  H.,  married  Mary  Swift, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Eden.  351 


live  in  Eden ;  Volney,  married  Lizzie  Simmons,  and 
lives  in  Ancona  ;  Clarinda,  married  D.  Willey  ;  Ar- 
minda,  married  Capt.  L.  Howe,  and  lived  near 
Tonica. 

Nathaniel  Eddy,  from  Virginia,  in  1833,  bought  a 
claim  of  John  Slater,  west  of  Bailey's  Point ;  he  kept 
a  store.  Eddy,  Holdridge  and  Bailey  bnilt  a  saw- 
mill on  Bailey's  creek  near  its  mouth  ;  Eddy  moved 
West. 

William  Groom,  and  wife,  Miss  Burhans,  from 
Albany  County,  N.Y.,  came  with  Alvord's  company 
in  1833  ;  was  a  farmer,  and  Methodist  preacher  ; 
he  died  in  1852.  His  children  were  :  Delia,  married 
a  Mr.  Wells;  Betsey,  married  John  Harkins  ;  Alida, 
married  Austin  B.  Carleton,  of  Vermillion  ;  Peter, 
married  Miss  Martin,  now  in  Nebraska  ;  Abram^ 
married  L.  T.  Naramoor;  Joseph,  married  Eunice 
Harrington,  in  California  ;  William,  married  Miss 
Thomas,  in  Tonica. 

Ira  S.  Moshier,  from  Saratoga  County,  N.Y.,  came 
in  1834,  and  settled  on  S.  12,  T.  3:,  R.  1  ;  a  farmer, 
Methodist  preacher,  and  lawyer.  He  died  in  1874, 
leaving  nine  children:  Edgar  W.,  at  Sandwich; 
Henr}^  C,  married  Elizabeth  Baker,  and  lives  at 
Gilman  ;  George,  married  Delana  Schermerhorn,  and 
lives  at  Gilman  ;  Charles  W.,  married  Celia  Wilson, 
of  Sandwich  ;  Maria  A.,  married  Thomas  Foster;  M. 
Charlotte,  married  Hugh  Miller  ;  Sheridan  L.  ;  Mar- 
garet, married  Onslow  Barrass,  of  Tonica  ;  Clara  J., 
married  A.  G.  Gray. 

Amos  A.  Newton,  and  wife,  L.  P.  Bunnell,  from 
Lexington,  Green  County,   N.  Y.,  in  the  sirring  of 


352  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

1836,  and  settled  on  Section  26,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death  in  1844,  aged  66  ;  his  widow  still  survives, 
at  the  age  of  90  years.  He  had  nine  children  :  A. 
Judson,  died  in  1842,  aged  23 ;  Barnum,  is  in 
Guthrie  County,  Iowa  ;  Wallace,  is  also  in  Iowa  ; 
Esther  L.,  married  Moody  Little — her  second  hus- 
band is  Andrew  J.  West,  of  Tonica  ;  Charlotte, 
married  Henry  Kingsley,  from  Connecticut — she  is 
deceased  ;  Harriet  L.,  married  Henry  Kingsley — his 
second  wife  ;  Eunice,  married  Joel  B.  Miller ;  Abi, 
married  Angus  McMillan. 

Geo.  M.Newton, son  of  Amos  A., and  from  the  same 
place,  came  to  Bailey's  Point  in  1835.  He  moved  his 
wife,  Fanny  Loomis,  and  family  in  1836  ;  and  settled 
on  Section  2.5.  Mr.  Newton  has  been  Postmaster,  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  and  Supervisor.  His  wife  died  in 
1863.  He  is  now  living  with  his  second  wife,  the 
widow  Sarah  Mafiis. 

Joel  B.  Miller,  came  from  Greene  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1837.  He  married  Eunice  Newton  ;  he  died  in 
1862  ;  his  widow  died  in  1875.  Has  three  children  : 
Horace,  lives  at  Minonk  ;  a  daughter  married  a  Mr. 
Swift ;  another  married  George  Beardsley. 

Angus  McMillan,  from  Pennsj^lvania,  came  in 
1838.  He  married  Abi  Newton,  and  lived  here  live 
or  six  years,  and  then  removed  to  Grundy  County. 
His  wife  died,  and  he  went  to  Iowa. 

James  Little,  and  wife,  Polly  Cook,  came  from 
New  Hampshire,  in  1839,  and  bought  the  farm  of 
Nathaniel  Eddy  on  S.  24.  He  died  in  1842,  and  left 
four  children :  Daniel,  married  Mary  Jones,  and 
removed  to  Geneseo ;  Lucy,  married  Isaac  Gage,  of 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Eden.  353 

Brooklield  ;  Moody,  married  Esther  Newton,  lived 
at  Tonica,  aud  died  in  1848  ;  Jolm,  married  Frank 
Bassford,  now  in  Southern  Illinois. 

Harvey  McFerson,  from  Brown  County,  Ohio, 
came  to  Putnam  County,  in  1840,  and  to  Eden  on  S. 
22,  in  18o6.  His  present  wife  is  Martha  King — have 
six  children. 

Willis  Moffat,  and  wife,  Olive  Simmon,  from 
Greene  County,  New  York,  in  1835,  and  settled 
on  the  west  side  of  Bailey's  Grove,  and  is  now 
living  in  Tonica.  His  first  wife  died  and  left  two 
children  :  AV alter  S.,  married  Elizabeth  Defenbaugh  ; 
Sarah  E.,  married  James  B.  Flulin,  both  are  living 
in  Livingston  County.  Mr.  Moffit's  second  wife 
is  Louisa  Harwood,  the  widow  Jenkins,  when  she 
married  him  ;  she  has  one  daughter,  Mary  L.,  at 
home. 

Rev.  Reuben  H.  Moffat,  brother  of  Willis,  came 
from  the  same  place  in  1834 — a  Methodist  preacher. 
His  wife  was  Catherine  C.  Yale.  He  died  in  1863, 
aged  QQ.  His  children  are  :  Reuben,  married  Miss 
Defenbaugh — he  died  in  the  army  ;  Sarah,  married 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Young,  a  Methodist  preacher. 

Sanford  Harwood,  from  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  came  in  1837  ;  married  Keziah  Dryer,  and 
moved  to  Iowa. 

Heman  Harwood,  brother  of  Sanford,  from  the 
same  place  ;  married  Melissa  Ide,  and  settled  on  S. 
1.  Died  in  1857,  in  Deer  Park.  His  widow  married 
a  Mr.  Lathrop,  and  moved  to  Iowa.  He  had  three 
children :  Sarah,  married,  and  is  living  in  Iowa ; 
Charles  was  killed  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a 
gun  ;  the  younger  daughter  is  with  her  mother. 


354  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


UTICA. 

Utica  embraces  that  part  of  T.  33,  R.  2,  which 
lies  north  of  the  Illinois  river,  being  about  half  a 
township;  the  river,  which  is  the  southern  boun- 
dary, running  about  due  west,  near  the  centre  line 
of  the  town.  There  is  a  wide  strip  of  bottom  land 
between  the  bluff  and  the  river,  most  of  it  very 
valuable  for  agriculture,  but  more  so  for  the  rich 
mineral  wealth  it  contains.  The  beds  of  hydraulic 
lime  which  here  lie  near  the  surface,  and  are  easily 
accessible,  are  the  only  ones  found  in  the  State,  and 
the  source  of  a  large  and  valuable  business. 

This  bottom  land  was  the  favorite  resort  of  the 
Illinois  Indians,  who  occupied  it  in  great  numbers, 
and  both  savage  and  civilized  men  have  ever  re- 
garded it  as  a  point  of  attraction,  for  its  beautiful 
scenery,  its  rich  soil,  and  mineral  wealth.  Old  Utica 
was  a  town  on  the  river  first  occupied  b}^  Simon 
Crosiar,  and  when  the  business  was  all  done  by 
river  boats,  was  a  commercial  point  of  some  impor- 
tance, the  boats  arriving  and  departing  with  con- 
siderable regularity.  It  was  regarded  as  the  head 
of  navigation,  except  at  very  high  water  when  the 
boats  ascended  to  Ottawa.  But  the  building  of  the 
canal  and  the  Rock  Island  Railroad,  both  along  the 
foot  of  the  bluff,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley, 
a  mile  distant,  and  the  river  boats  all  discharging  at 
the  basin  at  La  Salle,  dried  up  its  sources  of  busi- 
ness, and  it  now  stands  like  Goldsmith's  deserted 
village.  Instead  of  the  panting  of  the  river  boat, 
its  shrill   note  of    arrival  and   departure,  and  the 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Utica.  355 

busy  hum  of  the  cheerful  denizens  of  the  embryo 
town  on  shore, 

•' Aloug  its  glades  a  solitary  guest, 
The  hollow  sounding  bittern  guards  Its  nest ; 
Sunk  are  its  bowers  in  shapeless  ruin  all, 
And  the  rank  weeds  o'ertop  the  crumbling  wall." 

But  New  Utica,  a  mile  north,  has  taken  its  place. 
With  the  railroad  and  canal  for  transportation  ;  its 
large  manufacture  of  hydraulic  lime,  and  sewer  and 
drain  tile,  and  export  of  St.  Peter's  sand  for  the 
manufacture  of  glass,  with  the  large  shipment  of 
grain  from  Utica  township,  Waltham,  and  other 
towns  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  the  young  town 
may  well  anticipate  a  successful  future.  But  while 
it  exults  in  its  own  prosperity  it  should  remember 
the  changes  and  mutations  which  attend  towns  and 
cities,  as  well  as  men,  and  heave  a  sigh  for  the  dis- 
appointed anticipations  which  once  clustered  around 
its  older  rival. 

Should  the  contemplated  ship  canal  become  a 
reality — a  not  improbable  occurrence — and  the  busi- 
ness return  to  the  river,  Old  Utica  might  arise  from 
its  ashes,  and  drop  a  tear  for  the  blasted  hopes  of 
the  New. 

The  town  of  Utica,  with  its  wooded  bluffs  running 
nearly  through  its  centre, with  the  Percomsoggin, 
crossing  its  western  portion,  with  Clark's  Run  and 
other  points  of  timber  piercing  the  prairie,  was  so 
well  supplied  with  timber  that  it  commenced  set- 
tling at  an  early  day. 

Simon  Crosiar  was  born  near  Pittsburgh,  Pa.; 
his  wife,  Sarah  Owen,   was  from  Clermont  County, 


356  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Ohio.     He  left  Penns^'lvania  in  1815,  and  went  to 
Ohio,  and  was  married  in  1817  ;  removed  to  Illinois 
and  settled  at  Cap  an  Gra^-,  in  1819,  and  removed 
to  Calhoun  County,  where  he  remained  until  1S24, 
then  to  Peoria,  and  to  Ottawa  in  1826,  where  he  put 
up  a  log  cabin   on   the  ravine  near  where  S.  W. 
Cheever  now  lives  ;  resided  there  one  year  and  then 
removed  to  the  south  side  near  the  Bass  rocks,  where 
lie  remained  about  two  years  ;  removed  to  Shipping- 
port  in   the  fall   of    1829  ;   built   a  mill   on    Cedar 
creek,  and  removed  there  in  1831.     He  was  Post- 
master, and  carried  the  mail   to  and  from  Peoria 
once  a  month.     Sold  the  mill  to  Mr.  Myers  ;   built 
a  sawmill  and  carding  machine  on  the  Percomsog- 
gin ;    started  the  saw-mill  in  the  spring  of  1833  and 
the  carding  machine  in  the  fall  after.  Removed  to  Old 
Utica,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Illinois  in  1834,  kept 
a  store  and  warehouse  for  storage  and  commission 
business,  and  for  a  time  was  Captain  of  a  steamboat 
on  the  river.     He  died  in  November,  1846  ;  his  widow 
died  in  1871. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crosiar  were  bold,  hardy  and 
resolute,  and  well  calculated  for  frontier  life.  Mrs. 
Crosiar  told  the  writer  many  incidents  of  her  pio- 
neer life  ;  she  said  she  was  not  afraid  of  the  Indians 
even  when  alone,  unless  they  were  drunk,  but  they 
were  like  white  men  when  intoxicated,  unreasonable 
and  dangerous.  On  one  occasion,  during  her  hus- 
band's absence,  they  came  and  wanted  whisk}";  she 
had  covered  up  the  whisky  barrel  and  told  them  she 
had  no  whisky  :  the}'  told  her  she  had,  and  went  to 
uncover  the  cask ;  she  then  seized  a  hatchet  and  told 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Utica.  357 

tliem  they  should  not  have  it  if  she  had  ;  tliey  told 
her  she  was  a  brave  squaw,  but  raised  their  toma- 
hawks, and  she  was  compelled  to  yield  to  numbers ; 
they  got  the  whisky  and  had  a  big  drunk,  but  did 
not  molest  her. 

Mr.  Crosiar  was  an  active  participant  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  and  was  one  of  the  party  that  buried 
the  victims  of  tlie  Indian  Creek  massacre. 

In  his  numerous  removals  he  followed  the  rivers, 
transferring  his  family  and  effects  in  a  keel  boat, 
and  frequently  served  as  a  pilot  on  the  river.  The 
latch  string  of  the  Crosiar  cabin  was  always  out, 
and  many  an  early  emigrant  gratefully  remembers 
their  kindness  and  hospitality. 

They  had  a  large  family  of  children,  but  they  have 
all  left  except  one.  Amzi  Croziar,  the  only  child 
remaining  here,  married  Miss  Brown,  and  is  an  ex- 
tensive farmer  and  prominent  citizen  of  Utica. 

Amzi  Crosiar,  brother  to  Simon,  came  from  Pitts- 
burgh, and  settled  on  Sec.  36,  near  Shippingport, 
in  1826 ;  came  to  Utica  in  1833,  and  settled  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluff  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  He 
was  killed  by  a  runaway  team  in  1848. 

James  Clark,  and  wife,  Charlotte  Sargent,  came 
from  England,  to  Ohio,  and  from  there  here  in  1833, 
and  settled  on  S.  17.  He  was  a  contractor  on  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and  was  the  first  to 
develop  and  manufacture  hydraulic  lime  for  the 
market  from  the  Silurian  strata  of  that  neighbor- 
hood, conferring  a  great  benefit  upon  the  locality 
and  the  whole  Northwest,  and  enriching  himself. 
Mr.  Clark  has  been  Town  Supervisor  and  member 


358  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

of  the  Legislature,  and  is  now  General  Agent  of  the 
Consolidated  Cement  or  Hydraulic  Lime  manufac- 
ture of  tlie  West, 

His  children  are :  John,  who  married  Julia, 
daughter  of  Truman  Hardy  ;  is  living  in  Utica  and 
is  partner  with  his  father,  doing  a  large  busi- 
ness ;  Charlotte,  who  married  James  B.  Peckham, 
and  lives  in  Utica. 

Mr.  Hudson,  from  Virginia,  lived  at  Old  Utica, 
about  two  years,  and  went  back  to  Virginia  in  1838. 

Hiram  Higby,  from  New  Hartford,  Ct.,  and  wife, 
Frances  M.  Tamer,  from  Middlesex  County,  Ct.,  in 
1836.  Mr.  Higby  was  the  first  Supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Utica.  He  died  in  1864.  Mrs.  Higby  died 
in  1854.  Their  children  were  :  Arthur,  deceased ; 
William,  deceased ;  Frances,  the  widow  of  Charles 
Powers  ;  Thomas  Frederick,  served  in  the  63d  Reg- 
iment Illinois  Volunteers,  and  died  soon  after  his 
return  ;  Helen  M.,  married  C.  M.  Buel ;  H.  W.,  is  a 
druggist  in  Utica  ;  Julia,  is  deceased. 

William  Simmons  came  from  Kentucky  to  Ohio, 
and  to  Ottawa  in  1834  ;  bought  land  in  Utica  at  the 
sale  in  1835,  and  made  a  farm  on  which  he  resided 
till  his  death,  leaving  one  son  and  one  daughter. 

Edward  Holland  came  from  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  in  1840  ;  his  wife  was  Eva  Hess.  He  died  in 
1846,  leaving  eleven  children.  His  widow  married 
Henry  Gorbet,  who  had  fifteen  children. 

Zenas  Dickinson,  with  his  wife,  Mabel  Clark, 
came  from  Granby,  Mass.,  in  1836,  and  settled  on 
Section  10.  Mrs.  Dickinson  died  in  August,  1846. 
Mr.  Dickinson  died  in  November,  1857. 


Sketch  Off  Settlers  —  Utlca.  859 

Samuel  Dickinson,  son  of  Zenas,  came  from  New 
York  to  Utica  in  1835.  He  was  a  partner  with  Jas. 
Clark  in  a  large  contract  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  at  Utica,  and  subsequently,  for  several  years 
successively,  captain  of  the  steamboats  Dial,  La 
Salle,  and  Belle,  running  from  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion of  the  Illinois  to  St.  Louis.  He  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1850,  and  died  there  in  1851.  He  never 
married. 

Zenas  Clark  Dickinson,  also  son  of  Zenas,  came 
from  Massachusetts  with  his  father  in  1836  ;  settled 
on  Section  10,  where  he  still  resides.  His  wife  was 
Harriet  Donaldson  ;  they  have  six  children — all  at 
home. 

Six  sisters  of  Clark  and  Samuel  came  with  the 
parents :  Caroline,  married  Mr.  Johnson,  she  is 
deceased ;  Cemantha,  married  Robert  Shepherd, 
now  a  widow  in  Chicago ;  Amelia,  married  Mr. 
Wood,  she  is  now  deceased ;  Susan,  married  and 
lives  in  Chicago  ;  Olive,  married  Mr.  Munger,  in 
Montana  ;  Margaret,  married  Mr.  Fairchild,  now  in 
Indianapolis. 

Ira  Hartshorn,  and  wife,  Joanna  Burnham,  came 
from  Lisbon,  Ct.,  to  Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
Irom  there  here  in  1836  ;  moved  his  family  in  1837, 
and  settled  on  Section  6.  He  died  in  September, 
1859  ;  his  widow  died  in  1875.  Joshua  P.,  married 
Jane  Simon,  now  in  Iowa;  Erasmus  D.,  married 
Marietta  Meserve;  Alfred  I., married  Terrena  Culver, 
now  in  La  Salle  ;  Pliny,  married  Sarah  Simon  ton, 
second  wife,  Amelia  Dean — lives  in  Waltham ; 
Calvert,  married  Anna  Niles  ;  Mary,  married  Frank 


360  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Dean— her  second  husband,  Eli  Strawn,  now  of 
Buckley  ;  Lucy,  married  Mosely  Niles,  of  Buck- 
ley ;  Lydia,  married  Robert  V.  Dunnary,  of  Liv- 
ingston County  ;  Charles  B.,  died  in  the  army,  at 
Pittsburg  Landing. 

Benjamin  Hess,  and  wife,  Barbara  Ann  Simeon, 
came  to  Illinois  in  1833,  and  settled  on  the  bluff 
north  of  Utica  village.  Mrs.  Hess  died  in  1848, 
aged  75  ;  Mr.  Hess  died  in  August,  1850,  aged  77. 
Jeremiah,  married  Laura  Sevins.  and  lives  on  the 
old  farm  ;  Benjamin,  died  in  1846  ;  Susan,  married 
Mr.  Mulford,  she  is  now  deceased ;  Abram,  married 
Mary  E.  Wallrod,  and  lives  at  Utica  ;  Eva,  married 
Edward  Holland,  and  had  eleven  children— second 
husband,  Henry  Gorbet ;  Elizabeth,  married  Mr. 
Wallace,  and  lives  at  Bureau  Junction  ;  Jemima, 
married  Chester  Hall,  then  of  Ottawa— she  is  now 
deceased. 


PERU. 

Peru  embraces  the  west  half  of  Township  33, 
Range  1,  and  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  Illinois  river, 
while  the  east  half  of  the  township  constitutes  its 
sist^  town  of  La  Salle.  The  city  of  Peru  is  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  at  the  foot  and  on  the  bluff. 
Its  commercial  advantages  are  scarcely  inferior  to 
those  of  its  rival— La  Salle.  The  Chicago  &  Rock 
Island  Railroad  passes  through  it  from  east  to  west, 
and  the  river  trade  passes  its  levee  and  warehouses 
as  it  goes  to  and  from  the  basin  at  La  Salle.     The 


Sketch  of  Settlers  — Peru.  361 

long  and  bitter  contest  to  secure  tlie  termination  of 
the  Canal  was  decided  in  favor  of  La  Salle,  not  be- 
cause it  offered  superior  advantages,  but  because  it 
was  located  on  canal  land  belonging  to  the  State. 
The  two  cities  are  practically  one,  and  will  eventu- 
ally be  included  in  one  municipal  government. 
The  location  is  commanding  and  important,  not 
only  in  reference  to  the  County,  but  to  the  State 
and  Nation.  The  rich  and  heavy  deposit  of  coal, 
and  facilities  for  transportation,  will  make  it  one  of 
the  largest  manufacturing  cities  in  the  West.  Its 
progress  thus  far  in  that  direction  is  an  earnest  of 
the  high  position  that  awaits  it  in  the  future. 

John  Hays,  and  wife,  came  from  Tennessee  in 
1830 ;  built  a  cabin  on  the  Illinois  bottom,  just 
above  the  present  location  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  depot ;  kept  the  Ferry 
across  the  Illinois  river  till  1840  ;  sold  to  Hendricks  ; 
went  to  Hennepin,  and  died  there.  Hays  was  from 
the  class  at  the  South  that  was  crushed  and  kept  in 
ignorance  by  the  institution  of  slavery.  He  was  a 
rough  and  fearless  frontiersman.  His  children 
were :  one  daughter,  married  Mr.  Davis,  and  with 
her  husband,  was  killed  at  Indian  Creek,  in  1832 ; 
Harrison,  is  in  Bureau  County;  James,  and  two  other 
sons. 

.  Lyman  D.  Brewster  came  from  Nashville,  Tenn. 
In  1832,  he  traveled  on  horseback  from  Nashville, 
through  Ottawa  and  Chicago,  to  Salisbury,  Ct.  ;  he 
returned  and  settled  at  Peru  in  1834,  and  died  at 
Hennepin  in  the  fall  of  183.5. 

William  Paul,  from  Scotland,  settled  just  below 

24 


362  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

where  Peru  now  is,  in  1834;  sold  his  claim  to 
Kinney  &  Spaulding,  and  went  to  Hennepin,  w^here 
he  married  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Pulsifer  ;  came  back 
to  Peru  in  1843,  and  kept  a  store  till  1867  or  '69, 
then  moved  to  Vineland,  New  Jersey,  where  he  now 
resides, 

Ulysses  Spaulding  came  from'Tennessee  in  1834  ; 
engaged  in  selling  goods  with  Kinnej^;  died  in  1836  ; 
was  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  kept  a  grocery  store. 
Left  two  sons  and  two  daughters — one  married  Mr. 
Coffling,  of  Peru.     Widow  died  in  1860. 

Henry  S.  Kinne}^,  from  Pennsylvania,  came  in 
1834,  and  bought  a  claim  of  William  Paul,  and  in 
company  with  Ulysses  Spaulding,  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising until  1836,  and  after  Spaulding' s  death, 
in  partnership  with  Daniel  J.  Townsend  until  1838  ; 
he  then  took  a  heavy  contract  on  the  canal  basin, 
and  a  few  months  after  quietly  left,  leaving  his  work- 
men unpaid  and  his  affairs  unsettled.  He  afterward 
figured  conspicuouslj^  in  the  militarj^  affairs  of  Texas, 
and  was  an  officer  under  Walker  in  the  fillibustering 
expedition  in  Central  America.  A  man  of  some 
abilit}^  and  of  great  energy  and  activity,  but  was 
lacking  in  some  more  valuable  qualities. 

Theron  D.  Brewster,  came  from  Salisbury,  Ct.,  in 
1835  ;  he  first  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Kinney 
&  Spaulding.  In  1836  he  laid  out  the  Ninawa 
Addition  to  Peru,  embracing  all  the  business  portion 
of  the  place.  In  1843  he  engaged  in  merchandising 
and  selling  town  lots.  In  1848,  built  a  warehouse 
and  engaged  in  the  grain  and  shipping  business,  in 
company    with  H.   S.  Beebe  ;    in  1853  in  banking. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Peru.  363 

and  in  1858  in  manufacturing  plows  and  other  agri- 
cultural implements  ;  in  this  last  he  is  still  largely 
engaged. 

In  all  these  pursuits,  Mr.  Brewster  has  been  suc- 
cessful, and  while  he  has  accumulated  wealth,  has 
always  been  an  enterprising,  public-spirited  citizen, 
and  Peru  owes  mu'ch  of  its  prosperity  to  his  ejfforts. 
When  Peru  was  made  a  city  in  1851,  he  was  its  first 
Mayor. 

Mr.  Brewster  has  been  twice  married  ;  his  hrst 
wife  was  Adeline  Mann,  who  died  in  January,  1849, 
leaving  two  children  :  Sylvia  A.,  and'  Frank,  both 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Brewster's  second  wife  was 
Martha  Jones,  who  has  four  children  :  Jesse,  Mar- 
garet, Benjamin  L.,  and  Theron  D.,  Jr. — all  at 
home. 

Calvin  and  Peletiah  Brewster,  two  young  men  from 
Baltimore,  came  to  Peru  in  1835  ;  Calvin  died  the 
same  season ;  Peletiah  went  South  in  1837,  and 
died  in  Texas. 

Isaac  Abrams,  and  wife,  Ellen  Rittenhouse  Evans, 
grand  niece  of  David  B.  Rittenhouse,  the  astronomer, 
came  from  near  Philadelphia  in  1838.  In  company 
with  his  brother,  Nath'l  J.,  was  engaged  in  selling 
goods  for  live  years,  and  for  the  next  five  years  fol- 
lowed the  same  business  alone,  and  since  has  been 
agent  for  the  sale  of  real  estate.  One  of  the  sub- 
stantial business  men  of  Peru,  and  closely  identified 
with  all  its  history  and  growth.  His  children  are  : 
William  H.,  Land  Commissioner  of  the  Texas  & 
Pacific  Railroad — resides  at  Marsliall,  Texas — he 
married  Anna   Harris,   daughter   of  Hon.   William 


364  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

A.  Harris,  of  Virginia,  M.  C,  and  Minister  to  the 
Argentine  Republic ;  Louisa,  at  home  ;  Edwin 
Evans,  a  clerk,  in  Chicago. 

Nathaniel  J.  Abranis,  brother  of  Isaac,  and  wife, 
Eliza  A.  Evans,  came  from  the  same  j^lace  at  the 
same  time ;  was  five  j^ears  with  his  brother,  mer- 
chandising ;  since  which,  he  has  followed  farming 
on  Sec.  7,  T.  33,  E,.  1.  His  children  are  :  Mary  E., 
married  Lavega  G.  Kinnie  ;  Charles  H.,  George  W., 
and  Eugene,  are  at  home. 

George  W.  Holl}^  came  from  Salisbury,  Ct.,  in 
1837 :  his  wife  was  Miss  Church,  daughter  of  Judge 
Church,  of  same  place  ;  he  was  editor  of  the  Ninawa 
Gazette,  published  by  Ford  &  Hollj^,  the  first  news- 
paper in  Peru  ;  a  genial  man  and  good  writer.  In 
1839  he  removed  to  Niagara  Falls.  Mr.  Holly  was 
educated  at  West  Point,  but  left  there  on  account  of 
partial  deafness. 

Churchill  Coffing,  and  wife,  Asenath  Brewster, 
from  Salisbury,  Ct.,  came  in  1839  ;  a  thorouglil}' 
educated  and  able  lawyer,  but  lacked  energy  of 
character,  and  was  not  successful  in  business  ;  he 
died  in  Chicago  in  1872,  leaving  one  son,  John,  now 
living  with  his  mother  in  Chicago  ;  one  daughter, 
Catharine,  married  Mr.  CoUiday,  now  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

William  Chumasero,  from  Xew  York,  in  1838 :  a 
law^yer  of  good  ability  ;  married  Elizabeth  Brown  ; 
and  removed  to  Helena,  Montana,  about  ten  years 
since. 

Dea.  A.  D.  Brown,  from  New  York,  in  1838;  settled 
on  a  farm  back  of  town  :  married  Cornelia  Leonard, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Peru.  365 

who  died  in  October,  1877.  His  children  are  :  Eliz- 
abeth, married  William  Chumasero,  now  of  Helena, 
Montana ;  Henry  W., married  Emily  Gibbs,  and  lives 
in  Chicago  ;  William,  married  Lucy  Rattan,  on  the 
old  farm ;  Harvey,  married  Lydia  Tompkins ; 
Charles,  died  from  disease  contracted  while  in  the 
army. 

John  P.  Tilden,  from  Marblehead,  Essex  County, 
Mass.,  came  in  the  fall  of  1837  ;  a  farmer,  and  set- 
tled on  S.  8,  T.  33,  R.  1.  His  first  wife  was  Mary 
Rogers,  who  died,  and  left  three  children  :  William 
P.,  lives  in  Peru  ;  Mary,  married  James  Batcheler  ; 
Eanice,  married  Greo.  YanDycke.  His  second  wife 
was  Nancy  S.  Gordon — has  one  child,  Flora. 

Mr.  Leonard,  from  Rochester,  N.Y.,  came  in  1839. 
His  cliildren  were  :  Harvey,  a  bachelor,  was  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  several  years,  went  to  La  Salle, 
and  died  tliere  ;  Cornelia,  married  A.  D.  Brown, 
of  Peru  ;  Greaty,  married  Mr.  Robins,  of  Peru  ; 
Mary  Ann,  died  single,  in  Chicago ;  Julia  Ann, 
married  Lucius  Rumrill,  of  Peru  ;  Caroline,  mar- 
ried Charles  Noble. 

Henry  S.  Beebe,  and  wife,  Lydia  Wilcox,  from 
Great  Barrington,  Massachusetts,  in  1838.  He  kept 
a  livery,  was  a  commission  merchant  with  T.  D. 
Brewster,  ran  a  foundry  under  the  firm  of  Fitz- 
simmons  &  Beebe  ;  he  removed  to  Chicago  about 
1861.  His  children  are :  George,  deceased  four 
years  since  ;  Lucy,  married  a  Mr.  Weber,  in  Chicago  ; 
Nelly,  married ;  Jennie,  and  Mary,  at  home ; 
James,  is  married,  in  Cliicago. 

Elijah  Merritt,  from  Putnam  County,  New  York, 


366  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

in  1834,  lived  here  four  or  five  years  ;  was  killed  by 
tlie  fall  of  a  tree  near  Tiskilwa.  about  1855. 

Daniel  Merritt,  brother  of  the  above,  from  Put- 
nam County,  New  York,  in  1834 ;  settled  on  S.  7, 
T.  33,  R.  1..  He  died  in  1870.  Harriet  Hopkins, 
his  widow,  and  one  daughter,  Martha,  live  on  the 
old  place. 

Stephen  Merritt,  from  Putnam  County,  New  York, 
settled  near  Peru,  in  1834,  afterward  removed  to 
Henry  County,  and  now  lives  in  Bloomington,  HI. 

Dr.  Samuel  G.  Smith,  from  Berkshire  County, 
Massachusetts,  in  1840 ;  his  first  wife  was  Mary 
Deland — second,  Mary  Ann  Pomeroy ;  has  one 
child,  Sybil  E.,  at  home  ;  has  followed  the  business 
of  a  druggist ;  is  now  Postmaster  at  Peru. 

John  Hoffman,  from  Tioga  Co.,  Pa.,  in  1838  ;  mar- 
ried Mary  Ann  Mann  ;  kept  a  hotel,  and  did  a  ware- 
house and  commission  business  in  company  with  C. 
C.  Charles,  and  afterward  with  John  L.  Coates  ;  has 
been  Sujjervisor,  and  Chairman  of  the  Board ;  is 
now  farming  in  Mendota.  Has  eight  children  :  Asa, 
married  Frances  Raymond,  of  Ottawa  ;  Pliebe 
Adeline,  married  O.  Beardsley,  she  is  now  dead  ; 
Maria  L.,  married  L.  L.  Stoddard,  of  Englewood  : 
John  B.,  married  Mary  Thomas,  and  lives  in  Men- 
dota ;  Julietta  C.,  married  Charles  Wolf,  of  St. 
Louis;  Maria  R.,  Charles  C,  and  Andrew  J.,  at 
home. 

J.  P.  Judson,  from  New  York,  in  1836  ;  was  land 
agent ;  left  soon. 

S.  Lisle  Smith,  from  Philadelphia,  a  talented  law- 
yer ;  here  a  short  time,  and  went  to  Chicago. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —Peru.  367 


John  Smith,  brother  of  S.  Lisle,  kept  a  drug 
store  ;  went  back  to  Philadelphia. 

Fletcher  "Webster,  son  of  the  renowned  Daniel 
Webster,  from  Marshfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1837  ; 
practiced  law  here  three  years  ;  was  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  State  at  Washington,  for  a  short  time  ; 
was  appointed  to  an  office  in  the  Boston  Custom 
House,  by  President  Harrison  ;  was  killed  in  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

Daniel  Townsend,  from  New  York,  1837  ;  was  a 
partner  of  Henry  S.  Kinney,  in  selling  goods ;  left 
in  1840  ;  now  at  Niagara  falls. 

Philip  Hall,  from  New  York,  in  1838 ;  here  five 
years,  clerk  to  Kinney  &  Townsend  ;  went  to  Aurora, 
and  was  Superintendent  of  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad  ;   since  dead. 

James  Mulford,  from  Chicago,  here  in  1836,  with 
Kinney  ;  was  partner  with  Daniel  Townsend  in  com- 
mission business  ;  went  South  in  the  Mexican  war  ; 
did  a  commission  business  in  New  Orleans. 

James  Myers,  from  Pennsylvania,  brother  of  Mrs. 
William  Richardson,  here  several  years  ;  went  to 
Corpus  Christi,  Texas  ;  died  on  a  sea  voyage,  and 
was  buried  in  the  Atlantic  ocean, 

William  and  Charles  Dresser,  from  Bradford 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1837;  tailors  by  trade; 
went  to  California  in  1849. 

Harvey  Wood,  from  Canada,  in  1837 ;  died  about 
1872.  He  had  four  children  :  William  died  here  ; 
John  went  to  Tennessee,  is  now  in  Illinois  ;  Marga- 
ret, married  Frank  Casort,  of  La  Salle  ;  Grace, 
married  D.  W.  Mattock. 


368  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

N.  B.  Bullock,  from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  carpenter 
b}^  trade,  came  here  in  1837.  He  and  his  wife  both 
died  of  cholera  in  1852. 

Jesse  Pugsle}^  came  from  Eastern  New  York  in 
the  fall  of  1838 ;  married  Miss  Wood,  and  second 
wife  Miss  Wood,  sisters  of  Harvey  Wood ;  still 
living  in  Peru  on  a  farm. 

Ezra  McKinzie  came  from  New  York  in  1837  ; 
carpenter  by  trade  ;  married  Miss  Kerr,  now  living 
in  Peru.     Two  daughters  at  home. 

J.  P.  Thompson  came  from  Pennsj'lvania  in  fall 
of  1836 ;  went  South  fifteen  years  since,  and  died  in 
Pennsylvania  two  years  ago. 

C.  H.  Charles,  and  wife,  Juliet  Mann,  came  from 
Tioga  County,  Pa.,  in  1837;  was  a  merchant  in  part- 
nership with  John  Hoffman ;  died  in  1810.  His 
daughter,  Susan,  married  Wm.  Oilman,  of  Mendota; 
Phebe,  married  Hon.  Washington  Bushnell,  of  Ot- 
tawa ;  one  son,  C.  C.  Charles,  married,  and  lives  in 
Chicago. 

Lucius  Rumrill  came  from  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1839  ; 
watch  maker  and  jeweler;  married  Julia  A.  Leonard, 
sister  of  Harve}^  Leonard,  Esq.,  of  La  Salle;  moved 
to  Chicago,  and  died  there  ;  widow  lives  near  Chi- 
cago. One  daughter,  Emih^,  now  widow  of  Charles 
Coyrell. 

Cornelius  Cahill  came  from  Pennsylvania  in  the 
fall  of  1838  ;  a  merchant,  and  Justice  of  the  Peace  ; 
now  living  in  Corpus  Christ!,  Texas. 

Cornelius  Cokeley  came  from  Pennsylvania,  with 
H.  S.  Kinney,  in  1835 ;  died  in  Peru,  about  1850 ; 
widow  lives  in  Peru.     Had  one  son,  John,  and  five 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Peru.  369 


dangliters:    Mary,    married    Mr.   Miller:    Maggie, 
married  Wm.  O'Neil;  Theresa,  married;  Nellie. 

Patrick  M.  Killdnff  came  from  Harper' s  Ferry, 
Ya.,  in  1838;  married  Christiana  Mann,  daughter  of 
Asa  Mann  ;  was  Mayor  of  Peru,  Magistrate,  and 
County  Commissioner ;  died  in  Peru,  June  11th, 
18Y4. 

David  Dana  came  from  Vermont  in  1836  ;  black- 
smith by  trade  ;  was  a  farmer  in  Bureau  County, 
now  in  Chicago. 

Timothy  Cokeby  came  from  Pennsylvania  in  183Y; 
now  on  a  farm. 

Daniel  McGinn  came  from  Ireland  in  1840; 
tailor  ;  went  to  California  in  1849. 

Zimri  Lewis,  and  wife,  Hannah  Brown,  came  from 
Dryden,  Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1835  ;  kept  a 
hotel  in  Peru  for  several  years  ;  spent  the  last  year 
of  his  life  with  his  son-in-law,  S.  W.  Raymond,  in 
Ottawa,  where  he  died  in  1867.  Had  three  children  : 
Lorilla,  married  S.  W.  Raymond,  now  in  Ottawa  ; 
Zimri,  Jr.,  in  California  ;  William,  died  of  cholera 
in  1849. 

Samuel  W.  Raymond  came  from  Woodstock, 
Vt.,  in  1837 ;  lived  in  Peru  ten  years,  and  kept  the 
ferry  part  of  the  time.  In  1847  he  was  elected 
County  Recorder,  and  removed  to  Ottawa  ;  he  has 
held  the  offices  of  Recorder,  County  Clerk,  and 
County  Treasurer  for  many  years  ;  an  excellent  and 
popular  officer.  He  married  Lorilla  Lewis,  daughter 
of  Zimri  Lewis,  of  Peru.  He  has  ten  children : 
Frances,  married  Asa  Hoffman  ;  Susan,  married 
John  A.  Corton,  of  Iowa  ;  Mary  H.,  Charles,  Eme- 


370  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

line,  Floretta,  Samuel,  Jr.,  Corrin,  and  Walter,  at 
home. 

Hiram  P.  AVoodworth  came  from  Vermont  in 
1837  ;  was  engineer  on  tlie  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
tlien  a  merchant.  Died  of  cholera,  at  Hennepin,  in 
1852.     His  widow  lives  in  Chicago. 

Silas  Woodworth,  brother  of  Hiram,  was  assistant 
engineer  ;  went  to  Oregon. 

George  B.  Martin,  kept  warehouse  ;  went  to  the 
Au  Sable. 

William  H.  Davis,  clerk  for  Kinney  ;  went  to  the 

Au  Sable. 

Dr.  Seeley  came  from  New  York  in  1837;  a  physi- 
cian here  till  1848  ;  went  to  the  Au  Sable.  Died 
recently. 

George  Low  came  from  New  York  in  1838  ;  s^e 
and  harness  maker,  then  merchant ;  went  to  Iowa  ; 
kept  hotel ;  then  to  New  York  :  died  there,  and  was 
buried  in  Peru. 

M.  Mott  came  from  New  York  in  1838  ;  kept  the 
hotel  at  the  Sulphur  Springs,  between  Peru  and  Otta- 
wa ;  died  there. 

F.  Le  Beau  came  from  St.  Louis,  lived  here  five 
or  six  years,  then  went  South. 

A.  Hyatt,  and  wife,  sister  of  Jesse  Pugsley, 
came  from  New  York  in  1837  ;  merchant  with  Mott, 
and  Postmaster  ;  left  in  1840,  and  is  living  East. 

Ward  B.  Burnett  came  from  New  York  ;  resided 
here  from  1837  to  1841  ;  was  engineer  on  the  canal 
when  building  ;  now  living  in  New  York. 

O.  C.  Motley  came  from  Hennepin  in  1837  ;  he 
built  the  Motley  Hotel  on  the  bottom,  near  the  old 


SJcetch  of  Settlers  —  Verii.  371 


ferry  ;    the  hotel  was  carried  away  by  an  ice  flood, 
and  Motley  left. 

Lewis  Waldo,  from  New  London  County,  Ct.,  and 
wife,  Alice  T.  Baldwin,  from  Canterbury,  Ct.,  in 
1834,  settled  on  the  bluff  south  of  Peru,  where  they 
still  reside.  They  have  three  children  :  Ella  S., 
married  Wm.  H.  Bryan,  of  Peru;  Sarah  H.,  and 
Herbert  L.,  are  at  home. 

George  W.  Gilson,  of  Connecticut,  graduated  at 
the  Norwich  University  in  1837,  came  to  Peru  in 
spring  of  1838  ;  was  an  engineer  on  the  original 
Central  Railroad,  built  under  State  authority,  under 
T.  B.  Ransom,  resident  engineer ;  he  married  Miss 
E.  C.  Greenfield,  of  Middletown,  Ct.,  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Ransom  ;  he  removed  to  Lost  Grove,  but  returned 
to  ^Peru,  and  was  elected  Mayor  in  1855.  He  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
real  estate  firm  of  A.  J.  Galloway  &  Co.  ;  he  died 
Sept.  29,  1856,  leaving  four  children:  George  T., 
lives  in  Chicago — he  married  the  daughter  of  Prof. 
D.  J.  Pinckney,  of  Ogle  County ;  the  widow  and 
Frances  are  living  with  Emma,  the  wife  of  Judge 
M.  R.  M.  Wallace,  in  Chicago  ;  Ella,  is  the  wife  of 
Wm.  J.  Russell,  of  New  York  City. 

William  Richardson,  and  wife,  Mary  Myers,  came 
from  Cataraugus  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1837 ;  kept 
hotel  in  Peru  several  years ;  bought  a  farm  of 
Thomson,  in  the  Brown  settlement.  South  Ottawa, 
and  dealt  largely  in  cattle.  He  died  July  13,  1854, 
of  cliolera,  in  Ottawa,  aged  56.  His  widow  is  now 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Coles,  of  Ottawa.  His  children 
were  :  Wm.  Capron,  married  A.  Palmer,  his  second 


372  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

wife  was  Anna  Hossack — he  died  May  9,  1868 ; 
Henry,  married  Sarah  Benedict,  died  soon  after  ; 
Susan,  died  single. 

William  Rouse  came  from  New  Orleans,  in  1837 ; 
grocer  ;  died  in  1874. 

John  Aaron  came  from  New  Orleans ;  grocer ; 
died  in  1875. 


LA  SALLE. 

La  Salle  embraces  the  E.  i  of  T.  33,  E,.  1,  except 
a  small  point  between  the  Illinois  and  Vermillion 
rivers  which  belongs  to  Deer  Park.  It  is  crossed 
from  north  to  south  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad? 
and  from  east  to  west  by  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal  terminates  in  an  artificial  basin  within  its 
limits. 

In  this  basin  the  riv  er  steamboats  from  St.  Louis 
meet  the  canal  boats  from  Chicago,  and  the  locality 
seems  destined  and  fitted  both  by  nature  and  art  to 
be  one  of  the  most  important  commercial  points  in 
the  West.  The  progress  and  development  of  the 
town  and  its  business  has  not  equaled  the  anticipa- 
tions of  its  early  settlers,  but  its  growth  has  been 
constant  and  healthful. 

A  manufacturing  industry  can  never  flourish  until 
agriculture  is  developed,  the  population  becomes 
dense,  and  capital  has  accumulated  sufficient  for  its 
prosecution.  The  coal  production,  and  the  zinc  and 
glass  manufacture,  have  assumed  large  proportions, 


Sketcli  of  Settlers  —  La  Salle.  373 

and  with  the  produce  and  shipping  interest,  aggre- 
gates an  amount  of  business  that  must  be  quite 
o-ratifying  to  the  citizens  of  La  Salle,  and  of  which 
older  places  might  be  proud.  The  future  of  the 
locality  can  have  but  one  result,  that  of  a  great 
success. 

Samuel  Lapsley,  from  Pennsylvania  to  St.  Louis, 
and  from  St.  Louis  to  La  Salle,  in  1830 ;  made  a 
farm  on  the  present  site  of  La  Salle,  where  the  old 
Catholic  church  stood,  extending  as  far  north  as 
Fifth  street,  and  as  far  east  as  Joliet  street.  He 
built  a  saw-mill  on  the  Little  Vermillion  ;  his 
claim  proved  to  be  on  canal  land,  belonging  to  the 
State,  and  he  lost  his  improvements  ;  he  died  in 
1839. 

Burton  Ayres,  and  wife,  Orilla  Langworthy,  from 
Ohio,  came  to  La  Sajle  in  1830,  and  settled  on  S.  14  ; 
a  blacksmith  and  farmer.  His  shop  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  bluff,  near  the  Little  Vermillion  ;  he  died  in 
1870.  He  had  six  children  :  James,  is  married,  and 
lives  in  Iroquois  County  ;  Myron  D.  is  also  in 
Iroquois  ;  Elizabeth,  is  married,  and  lives  in 
Iowa ;  Franklin,  is  in  Kansas  ;  Warren,  is  single, 
and  lives  in  Princeton  ;  Charlotte,  is  married,  and 
in  Kansas. 

Mrs.  Swanson,  a  widow,  with  a  family — and  a 
sister  of  John  Myers,  from  Ohio,  settled  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Vermillion,  in  1831.  She  moved 
near  the  Hardy  farm,  and  in  1840  removed  to  Peca- 
tonica,  then  came  back  to  La  Salle,  and  finally 
moved  to  California,  where  she  died.  She  had  two 
sons,  John  and  Edward,  and  two  daughters. 


374  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Aaron  Gunn,  from  Montague,  Massachusetts,  was 
one  of  a  colony  formed  in  1830,  in  Northampton, 
Massachusetts.  Agents  sent  out  to  find  a  location, 
fixed  upon  La  Salle.  The  colony  came  out  in  1831. 
Gunn,  and  seven  other  young  men  bought  two  pe- 
rogues,  or  canoes,  at  Mottville,  Michigan,  and 
floated  .down  the  St.  Joseph  to  South  Bend,  then 
hauled  their  canoes  across  the  portage  to  the  Kan- 
kakee (the  same  route  taken  by  La  Salle  loO  years 
before),  they  then  floated  down  the  Kankakee  and 
Illinois  to  Hennepin,  in  nine  days.  The  season  was 
wet,  and  the  colon}^,  dissatisfied  with  the  location, 
scattered  over  the  countrj^,  mostly  going  to  Bureau 
County.  Mr.  Gunn  went  to  where  Lamoille  now  is, 
bought  a  claim  of  Mr.  Hall,  who  was  killed  by  In- 
dians, at  Indian  Creek,  the  following  summer. 

The  next  summer  he  left  on  account  of  the  war, 
and  remained  two  years  at  Magnolia.  In  1835,  sold 
his  claim  and  bought  400  acres  north  of  and  now 
adjoining  the  town  of  La  Salle.  In  common  with 
most  of  the  settlers  in  1836,  he  supposed  his  fortune 
made,  being  told  that  liis  400  acres  were  worth 
$40,000,  and  that  he  need  work  no  more,  but 
not  realizing  that  sum  he  went  one  year  on  tlie 
Ottawa  mission  as  a  Methodist  exhorter,  and  in  1837 
was  married  to  Nanc}^  Winters,  of  Mt.  Palatine, 
and  went  to  farming,  finding  his  400  acres  worth 
what  its  production  of  farm  crops  would  indicate. 
He  is  still  living  on  a  part  of  the  840,000  farm,  at 
a  ripe  old  age,  probabl3^as  comfortable  as  he  would 
have  been  had  he  realized  his  anticipated  fortune. 
His  experience  and  disappointment  in  that  respect, 


Sketch  of  'Settlers  —■  La  Salle.  375 


might  be  written  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  many  of 
the  emigrants  who  came  in  1836-7.  His  children 
are  :  Lydia  C,  who  died  at  the  age  of  IS  ;  Nettie 
Z.,  married  George  A.  Elliott,  of  La  Salle;  Moses 
W.,  Pastor  Baptist  Church,  Normal,  111.  ;  Lucy  G., 
married  Herman  B.  Chapman,  of  La  Salle  ;  Eliza- 
beth S.,  married  Frank  L.  Ay  res,  of  Kansas  ;  Aaron 
E.,  a  farmer,  of  La  Salle  ;  Bella  E.,  at  home. 

Dixwell  Lathrop,  from  Norwich,  Ct.,  came  in 
1835  ;  was  emj^loyed  by  a  company  in  Norwich  to 
select  and  purchase  land.  He  arranged  to  enter 
land  at  Rockwell,  adjoining  La  Salle,  returned  and 
brought  out  his  family  in  1836. 

As  the  agent  of  Charles  and  John  Rockwell,  of 
Norwich,  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Rockwell,  and  in 
1838  was  reinforced  by  a  colony  from  Norwich  and 
vicinity,  called  the  Rockwell  Colony.  The  town  of 
Rockwell  was  at  this  time  at  the  height  of  its  pros- 
perity, and  the  arrival  of  the  colony  was  supposed  to 
insure  its  ultimate  success  ;  but  the  summer  and  fall 
of  1838  were  seasons  of  unexampled  sickness  through- 
out the  West ;  malarious  disease  existed  to  an  extent 
unknown  before  of  since.  It  was  particularly  severe 
along  the  wide  and  low  bottom  lands  of  the  Illinois. 
The  Rockwell  colonists  were  all  sick,  many  died, 
the  survivors  scattered  through  the  country,  and 
the  town  never  recovered. 

La  Salle  being  selected  as  the  termination  of  the 
canal  made  that  the  centre  of  business,  and  Rockwell 
will  doubtless  be  a  pleasant  suburb  of  its  successful 
neighbor.  Notwithstanding  the  failure  of  the  town, 
Mr.  Lathrop  retained  the  confidence  of  the  Rockwell 


376  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Company  ;  is  residing  in  La  Salle ;  he  has  been  a 
successful  amateur  farmer  and  bee  culturist,  and  is 
highly  respected.  His  first  wife  was  from  Norwich, 
Ct.,  his  second  wife  was  Miss  Foster.  He  had  one 
daughter,  who  died  aged  17. 

Daniel  Baird  came  from  Westborough,  Mass., 
in  the  spring  of  1836  ;  kept  a  boarding-house  at 
Rockwell  ;  his  wife,  Charlotte  B.  Field,  and  her 
sister,  Adeline  0.  Field,  'came  out  in  the  fall  of 
1836.  Miss  Field  was  married  to  Ehner  Baldwin, 
of  Farm  Ridge,  in  1838.  Mr.  Baird  and  family 
were  all  prostrated  by  the  sickness  of  1838,  and  his 
business  broken  up.  In  the  sj)ring  of  1839  he 
moved  on  to  a  farm  near  Palestine  Grove,  in  Lee 
County,  where  he  resided  till  his  death,  in  1866. 
He  had  three  children  :  Marianne,  married  Henry 
C.  Chapman  ;  Seth,  married  Amanda  Thompson, 
second  wife,  Martha  Reese  ;  Carrie,  married  Newton 
Pumphrey.  They  all,  with  the  widow,  live  on  or 
near  the  old  homestead. 

Hackaliah  Merritt,  and  wife,  Sarah  Smith,  came 
from  Putnam  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  fall  of  1836. 
He  made  a  farm  on  S.  3,  T.  33,  R.  1  ;  his  wife  died 
in  1847  ;  his  second  wife  was  Lydia  Robinson,  who 
is  still  living,  aged  83.  Mr.  Merritt  died  in  February, 
1877,  aged  84.  He  left  four  children :  Fuller,  mar- 
ried Julia  Ide,  they  live  in  La  Salle  ;  Cordelia, 
married  Philo  Lindley,  she  lives  in  Ottawa,  and  is 
now  a  widow  ;  Martha,  married  Frank  Hunt,  she  is 
now  deceased  ;  Nathan,  died  in  Arkansas. 

Norman  McFarrand  came  from  Whitehall,  N.  Y,, 
to  Baltimore,  in  1830  ;    he  married  Mary  Ann  For- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  La  Salle.  877 

rest,  of  Ellicott's  Mills,  Md.,  and  settled  in  La  Salle 
Sept.  13,  1837.  His  wife  is  deceased,  leaving  seven 
children  :  John  Forrest,  Isaac  Hubert,  Wm.  Henry, 
Mary  Ann,  Cyrene  Sophia,  Norman  Nash,  John 
Isaac. 

John  H.  McFarrand,  brother  of  Norman,  came 
from  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1837  ;  he  married 
Julia  A.  Clark  ;  he  was  engaged  on  several  railroads 
before  he  came  to  La  Salle  ;  he  was  a  contractor  on 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and  on  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  ;  was  Postmaster  at  La  Salle  for 
several  years.     He  is  now  living  in  Chicago. 

Nahum  Gould  was  born  in  Warwick,  Franklin 
County,  Mass.,  in  1798;  crippled  by  an  accident 
and  unable  to  labor,  he  attended  an  academy  at 
New  Salem,  and  taught  school  alternately,  till  he 
entered  Amherst  College  and  graduated  in  1828. 
He  studied  theology  with  Dr.  John  Woodbridge,  of 
Hadley.  He  married  Rebecca  B.  Leonard.  Was 
ordained  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  appointed  a  missionary  in  the  State  of  New 
York. 

May  5th,  1834,  with  his  wife,  three  children  and 
his  sister,  Semira  (who  afterward  married  Thomas 
Hartsell,  of  Hennepin),  started  for  Illinois  in  a  light 
wagon  ;  they  generally  found  accommodations  for 
the  night  at  the  houses  along  the  route,  but  were 
sometimes  compelled  to  sleep  in  their  wagon.  He 
arrived  at  his  wife's  brother's,  Dea.  John  Leonard, at 
Bailey's  Grove,  on  June  12th.  He  was  first  settled 
at  Union  Grove,  and  preached  occasionally  at  Hen- 
nepin and  Yermillionville, 

25 


378  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


He  organized  or  assisted  in  organizing  a  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Hennepin,  Dec.  29th,  1834  ;  one  at 
Union  Grove,  Dec.  3rd,  1834  ;  at  Vermillionville 
or  Lowell,  August,  1834  ;  one  at  Plainiield  ;  one  at 
Rockwell,  Januar}',  1837.  Tliat  year  he  built  a 
house  and  settled  at  Rockwell. 

In  1838  his  wife,  Rebecca  Blake  Leonard,  died, 
leaving  four  daughters.  The  sickness  of  1838  swept 
away  more  than  half  of  the  church.  He  preached 
at  Troy  Grove,  and  organized  a  church  there.  In 
1838.  being,  in  common  with  the  majority  of  the  pop- 
ulation, taken  sick,  he  turned  his  horse  on  the  prairie 
to  care  for  himself,  and  was  taken  to  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Hartsell  at  Hennepin,  where  his  children  were.  Mr. 
Hartsell  was  also  sick,  and  his  only  child  died. 
Thos.  Hartsell  died  at  Waukegan  about  twelve  years 
since,  and  his  w^ife,  Semira  Gould,  died  at  Hennepin, 
thirty  j^ears  since,  or  in  1846.  Mr.  Hartsell' s  only 
surviving  child  and  son  lives  at  Aurora. 

Mr!  Gould  returned  to  Rockwell  late  in  the  fall, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1839  married  Sarah  Dewey, 
daughter  of  Roswell  Dewey.  He  left  for  his  health 
and  lived  at  Princeton  one  year,  then  settled  at  Troy 
Grove  ;  preached  and  taught  the  district  school  and 
kept  a  station  on  the  Underground  Railroad,  and 
claimed  that  the  passengers  went  safely  through. 
While  at  Homer  he  was  a  sort  of  an  itinei-ant  on  a 
missionary  circuit  to  Indian  Creek,  where  he  organ- 
ized a  church  in  1843 ;  one  in  Paw  Paw  in  1844  ; 
preached  in  Harding  and  Serena  ;  suffered  many 
hardships  and  encountered  many  dangers  and  nar- 
row escapes  in  fording  streams  and  other  new- 
country  experiences. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  La  Salle.  879 

In  1846  he  removed  to  Goiildtown,  in  the  town  of 
Freedom,  where  he  resided  fonr  years,  then  to 
Xorthville,  and  to  Somonauk  in  1859. 

In  November.  1850,  his  wife,  Sarah  Dewey,  died, 
and  in  1858  he  married  Lois  Jane,  widow  of  Rev. 
P>ancis  Leonard,  of  Galesburg.  His  family  lived 
with  or  near  him  till  1871,  when  one  daughter  went 
to  Nebraska,  one  died,  one  went  to  Iowa,  and  one  to 
Minnesota. 

In  October,  1871,  he  removed  to  Nebraska,  and 
settled  at  Kearney  Junction.  He  secured  the  organ- 
ization of  a  church  at  Kearney,  aided  efficiently  in 
organizing  the  presbytery  of  Kearney  and  synod 
of  Nebraska,  and  presided  at  the  first  meeting  of 
each. 

He  died  at  his  home  in  1872,  aged  74,  and  his 
grave  overlooks  the  city  which  had  but  one  house 
when  he  went  there.  But  few  men  have  had  more 
varied  experiences — seen  more  of  new  country  life, 
or  labored  more  zealously  in  their  chosen  field,  or 
accomplished  more  for  which  his  church  should  be 
grateful. 

Barney  Martin,  from  Ireland,  in  1838. 

William  Riley,  from  Ireland,  in  1888. 

Bartlett  Thompson,  in  1839. 

Dr.  Thomas  W.  Hennesey,  from  Ireland,  1837, 
was  a  practicing  physician  in  La  Salle  for  twenty 
years,  then  moved  on  to  a  farm,  in  the  town  of 
Dimmick,  where  he  now  lives  ;  he  married  Charlotte 
Cadwell,  daughter  of  Sheldon  Cadwell,  of  Deer 
Park. 

Daniel   Burdick,    and   wife,    Sallj^  Adams,    from 


380  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

NorAvich,  Ct.,  in  1837,  settled  on  a  farm.  He  enlisted 
in  the  army,  and  died  in  1864,  soon  after  his  return. 

John  Higgins,  from  Detroit,  to  Chicago,  in  the 
spring  of  1836,  and  to  La  Salle,  Novejnber  1st,  same 
year.  Is  now  in  the  grocery  trade,  which  he  has 
followed  since  he  came  to  La  Salle.  Married  the 
widow  O' Conner,  daughter  of  William  Burns — has 
a  second  wife. 

Mr.  Yaughan,  and  wife,  from  Connecticut,  1838, 
one  of  the  Rockwell  colony.     Both  soon  died. 

Giles  Lindley,  from  Connecticut  to  St.  Louis, 
from  there  here  in  1840  ;  married  Jane  Knight,  from 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  who  is  living  in  La  Salle. 
Mr.  Lindley  died,  leaving  nine  children. 

Philo  Lindley,  from  Seymour,  Connecticut,  came 
in  1836  ;  married  Cordelia  Merritt ;  was  seven  years 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  La  Salle  County,  and 
County  Clerk  one  term  ;  was  Quartermaster  of  the 
Fifty-third  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was 
killed  near  Altoona,  Mississippi,  1863  ;  his  widow 
resides  in  Ottawa,  with  three  children— Philo, 
George,  and  Laura  M. 

Myron  D.  Downs,  from  Connecticut,  in  1837  ;  he 
married  Elizabeth  Allen  ;  he  sold  goods  in  Rockwell 
and  went  to  Chicago  in  1838,  or  1839,  where  he  is 
now  living. 

William  Baldwin  came  in  1837 ;  merchant  in 
Rockwell ;  went  to  Chicago  in  1838  or  9. 

James  O'Neal,  from  Ireland,  in  1836  ;  laborer. 

William  Burns,  and  wife,  Sarah  Harris,  from  Ire- 
land to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1812,  came  to  I^a  Salle  in 
1837 ;    was  the  contractor  for   building  the   canal 


SketcJi  of  Settlers  —  Farm  Ridge.  381 


aqueduct  over  the  Little  Yermillion,  and  the  lower 
locks  on  the  canal ;  a  good  mechanic,  and  physically 
and  mentally  a  superior  man.  He  died  in  the  Sis- 
ters' Hospital,  in  Chicago,  in  1873,  aged  101  years. 
His  children  were :  Eliza,  who  married  David  L. 
Gregg;  John  C,  died  in  the  State  of  Maryland; 
Sarah,  married  Mr.  O' Conner,  of  La  Salle,  and,  after 
his  death,  married  John  Higgins,  of  La  Salle — she 
is  now  deceased  ;  Joseph,  died  at  St.  Louis  ;  two 
grandchildren  only  living. 

Daniel  Cosgrove  came  from  Ireland  in  1837  ;  was 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  years  ;  died  in 
1872.  His  wife  was  M\iss  Garrity.  His  children 
were :  Annie,  'Daniel,  Terrance,  Cronise,  and  Luke. 

John  Cody,  from  Ireland,  came  to  La  Salle  in 
June,  1837 ;  he  married  Miss  Turney ;  he  is  still 
living  ;  his  wife  died  in  1870.  Has  three  children  : 
James,  married  Mary  Whalen,  is  now  a  grocer  in 
La  Salle ;  Bridget,  married  James  Duncan,  the 
present  Mayor  of  La  Salle  ;  Ellen,  is  unmarried. 

James  and  William  Crosiar,  brothers  of  Simon 
Crosiar,  from  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  settled  on  Section  36, 
near  Shipping-port,  in  1831  ;  they  both  left  in  1833. 


FARM  RIDGE. 

Farm  Ridge  embraces  all  of  Township  32,  Range 
3,  except  Sections  31  and  32,  which  lie  on  the  south- 
west side  of  the  Vermillion,  and  are  attached  to  and 
form  part  of  the  town  of  Vermillion.  It  is  all 
prairie  except  the   extreme   southwestern  portion. 


382  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

which  borders  the  Yermillion.  The  most  striking 
topographical  feature  is  a  high  ridge  or  swell  ex- 
tending northwest  and  southeast,  parallel  with  the 
general  course  of  the  river,  from  which  the  town 
derived  its  name. 

The  ridge  is  from  two  and  a  half  to  four  miles 
from  the  Vermillion,  and  forms  the  divide  which 
separates  the  waters  which  flow  into  that  river  from 
those  that  run  to  Covell  creek  and  the  Illinois. 
The  substratum  of  the  ridge,  to  a  considerable 
depth,  and  coming  within  six  to  eight  feet  of  the 
surface,  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  is  com- 
posed of  pure  washed  sand,  from  which  issue 
several  large,  never-failing  springs  of  water.  The 
descent  from  the  summit  or  divide  to  the  Vermillion 
river  is  quite  abrupt,  while  to  the  northeast  it  is 
more  gradual.  A  similar  ridge,  though  not  as  high, 
runs  nearly  east  and  west  across  the  north  part  of 
the  town,  while  the  central  part  is  more  level,  but, 
as  a  whole,  has  a  most  excellent  and  well-drained 
soil. 

The  first  settlement  here,  as  elsewhere,  was  con- 
fined to  the  vicinity  of  the  timber,  and  consequently 
to  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town. 

William  McCormick,  Samuel  Mackey,  and  Rees 
Morgan,  came  from  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  and  were 
the  first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Farm  Ridge. 

William  McCormick  settled  on  S.  18,  in  1833,  and 
in  1834  broke  the  first  prairie  broke  in  the  town  ;  in 
1835,  sold  his  claim,  crops  and  improvements,  and 
located  on  S.  3,  town  of  Bruce.  He  married  Mary 
Morgan,  and  has  had  eleven  children  :  Sanders,  in 


•  Sketch  of  Settlers  — Farm  Ridge.  883 


Iroquois  County  ;  Hampton,  in  Strawn  ;  Bruce,  in 
Champaign  ;  William,  in  Strawn  ;  Ann  Eliza,  mar- 
ried Mr.  Bodine,  now  in  Iowa  ;  Mary,  in  Champaign 
County  ;  Rees,  Worth,  and  Morgan,  in  Ford  Co. 

Samuel  Mackey  settled  on  S.  33,  in  1833  ;  sold  to 
Charles  McCormick,  and  removed  to  S.  1,  town  of 
Bruce.  In  company  with  his  brother,  Norton 
Mackey,  built  a  saw-mill  on  Otter  Creek.  In  1839, 
in  company  with  Rees  Morgan,  built  a  saw-mill  on 
the  Vermillion,  in  the  centre  of  a  heavy  timbered 
region,  which  did  a  large  business  for  several  years  ; 
he  died  in  1854  ;  he  was  the  first  Supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Bruce.  His  widow,  Sarah  Morgan,  is  living 
in  Streator.  He  left  children :  Malvina,  married 
Mat.  Morrison ;  Stephen,  married  Emma  Holly ; 
Minerva,  married  William  Cad  well ;  George  and 
Jabe/,  are  single  ;  Agnes,  married  Methuel  Bronson. 

Rees  Morgan,  son  of  William  Morgan,  of  Bruce, 
settled  on  S.  33.  He  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of 
David  Reader  ;  in  1838  sold  to  Marvin  W.  Dimock, 
and  moved  on  to  S.  8,  T.  31,  R.  3;  after  running 
the  saw-mill  on  the  Vermillion  for  several  years,  he 
served  one  term  as  County  Treasurer,  then  removed 
to  Dayton,  and  is  now  living  at  Strawn,  Ford  Co., 
Illinois.     He  has  several  children. 

Elmer  Baldwin,  Beebe  Clark,  James  B.  Beard  si ey, 
and  Noble  W.  Merwin,  came  from  New  Milford, 
Connecticut,  in  the  spring  of  183.5.  Bought  the 
claim,  improvements  and  crops  of  William  Mc- 
Cormick, and  the  claim  of  Alfred  McCormick — pur- 
chased the  land  at  public  sale,  at  Galena,  in  June, 
and  settled  on  Sees.  18  and  19,  T.  32,  R.  3. 


384  History  of  La  SalU  County. 

Xoble  W.  Merwin  sold  his  land  to  Solomon  Brown 
and  Kirjetli  A.  Hunt,  in  the  spring  of  1836,  and 
moved  to  Ohio. 

James  B.  Beardsley  brought  out  his  wife,  Laura 
M.  Piatt,  and  settled  on  his  purchase  in  the  spring 
of  1836.  His  wife  died  in  July,  1837.  The  same 
year  he  married  Prudence  Barrass,  from  Saratoga 
County,  Xew  York.  In  1850  he  sold  his  farm  to 
Rev.  Daniel  Baldwin,  from  Connecticut,  and  re- 
moved to  the  town  of  Vermillion,  where  he  now 
lives,  an  active  member,  and  Deacon  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  His  son,  George,  and  daughter,  Harriet, 
wife  of  Augustus  Hall,  live  near  him.  Sidney  P., 
the  son  of  his  first  wife,  died  at  the  age  of  19. 

Beebe  Clark  settled  on  his  farm  as  soon  as  pur- 
chased. In  1837  he  married  Susan  Bishop,  of  Con- 
necticut, and  cultivated  his  farm  till  1869.  when  he 
sold,  and  moved  to  Joliet,  to  live  with  his  daughter 
Henrietta,  an  only  child,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Chas. 
A.  Gilbert ;  he  died  Feb.,  1870,  and  his  widow  died 
two  years  after. 

Elmer  Baldwin  brought  his  famil}-,  consisting  of 
his  wife,  Adeline  Benson,  and  an  infant  daughter, 
Mary,  now  the  wife  of  Rinaldo  Williams,  iu  the 
spring  of  1836  :  his  wife  died  in  Januarv,  1837.  He 
married  Adeline  O.  Field,  of  Worcester  County. 
Massachusetts,  in  Ma}',  1838,  and  still  resides  on  the 
land  purchased  of  the  United  States  in  1835.  a  far- 
mer and  nurseryman.  He  held  the  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace  fourteen  consecutive  years  ;  Supervi- 
sor of  the  town  five  j^ears :  Postmaster  twent}^ 
years  ;  School  Treasurer  of  the  town  from  its  first 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Farm  Iliclr/e.  385 

settlement,  till  1874;  twice  a  Representative  in  the 
Legislature,  and  once  in  the  State  Senate ;  and  a 
member  and  President  of  the  Board  of  State  Chari- 
ties five  3^ears.  His  son,  Noble  Orlando,  married 
Maggie  Jackson,  and  lives  adjoining  the  old  farm. 
Susan  Orvilla  is  at  home. 

Harvey  Benson,  and  wife,  Fanny  Northrop,  came 
from  New  Milford,  Connecticut,  in  1836  ;  he  settled 
on  S.  29,  where  he  died  in  1841  ;  his  widow  occupied 
the  same  premises  till  her  death,  in  1871.  Their 
only  child,  Adeline,  was  the  first  wife  of  Elmer 
Baldwin. 

Solomon  Brown,  from  New  Milford,  Connecticut, 
in  1836  ;  he  settled  on  S.  18  ;  he  sold  to  Moses  G. 
Hallock,  in  1842,  and  moved  to  S.  13,  T.  32,  R.  2, 
where  he  died,  in  1846  ;  his  widow,  A rmida  Waller, 
died  1856.  His  daughter,  Jane,  married  Marvin  W. 
Dimock,  now  a  widow,  living  with  her  brother, 
Henry.  His  son,  Henry,  is  a  minister  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  and  lives  in  the  State  of 
New  York. 

Kirjeth  A.  Hunt,  from  New  Milford,  Ct.,  wife  and 
five  children,  came  from  Connecticut  in  1836  and 
settled  on  S.  19,  on  the  premises  bought  of  Noble 
W.  Merwin ;  remained  one  year,  and  returned  to 
Connecticut.  He  sold  his  farm  to  Dr.  Johnson 
Hatch. 

Marvin  W.  Dimock,  from  Washington,  Ct.,  came 
in  1838.  He  bought  the  farm  of  Rees  Morgan,  and 
married  Jane,  daughter  of  Solomon  Brown.  In 
1850  he  sold  to  Hiram  Jackson,  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  removed  to  Ottawa.     In  1865,  while  showing  a 


386  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

friend  the  animals  in  the  park  of  Judge  Caton,  he 
was  killed  by  a  vicious  elk. 

The  foregoing  eight  families  constituted  what  was 
called  the  Yankee  settlement.  Five  of  these  came  in 
company  from  Connecticut  by  the  way  of  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  by  railroad  from  Philadel- 
phia to  Columbia  on  the  Susquehanna,  then  by 
canal  and  slack  water  on  the  romantic  Juniata  to 
Holidaysburg,  by  the  Portage  Railroad  over  the 
crest  of  the  mountains  to  Johnstown,  thence  by 
canal  to  Pittsburg  and  by  steamer  to  St.  Louis, 
and  from  there  by  a  stern-wheel  Illinois  river  boat 
to  U tica,  La  Salle  County — being  five  weeks  on  the 
trip. 

Dea.  Henry  W.  Gridley,  and  wife,  Lucy  Dickin- 
son, came  from  Deerfield,  Mass.,  in  June,  1835,  and 
settled  on  S.  1,  where  he  resided  until  1848,  when  he 
sold  to  Thomas  Dunnaway  and  removed  to  Ottawa, 
where  he  now  resides.  His  children  are  :  Caroline 
E.,  married  Henry  L.  Brush  ;  Chas.  H.,  is  deceased  ; 
Laura  W.,  married  Dr.  D.  Hopkins  ;  Lucy  S.,  at 
hojne. 

Wm.  Moore,  and  wife.  Miss  Wauchope,  came  from 
Ireland  in  1^35,  and  settled  on  S.  35,  where  he  raised  a 
large  family.  He  sold  his  farm  to  Mr.  Bossermans 
about  1854,  and  moved  to  Fall  River.  The  practice  of 
persistent  industry  and  rigid  economy  has  produced 
in  the  history  of  Mr.  Moore  what  it  always  has  done, 
the  possession  of  abundant  wealth. 

John  McCormick,  brother  of  William,  came  from 
Fayette  Co.,  Pa.,  settled  on  Sees.  33  and  34,  in  1835. 
He  married  Miss  Morgan,  daughter  of  Wm.  Mor- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Farm  Ridge.  387 

gan.  He  raised  a  ftimily  of  seven  children.  In  1875 
lie  sold  his  farm,  and  is  now  in  Missouri.  His 
children  are  :  Charlotte  ;  Ralph  ;  Charles,  married 
Lizzie  Hays  ;  Nelson  ;  Zachery,  deceased  ;  Olive, 
married  Joseph  Wauchope  ;  Dow. 

Charles  McCormick,  and  wife,  from  Fayette  Co., 
Pa.,  parents  of  William,  John  and  Alfred,  came 
from  Fayette  Co.,  Pa.,  in  1836  ;  bought  the  farm  of 
Samuel  Mackey  on  Section  33,  where  they  died  a 
few  years  after, 

Alfred  McCormick,  son  of  Charles,  came  from 
Pennsylvania  in  1835  ;  made  a  claim  on  Section  19  ; 
sold  and  located  on  Sec.  33,  and  lived  there  until 
1866,  then  sold  to  Mr.  Hampson,  and  removed  to 
Streator. 

James  G.  Patten,  and  wife,  daughter  of  Charles 
McCormick,  came  from  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  in 
the  fall  of  1 836,  and  settled  on  Section  33.  In  1839 
he  removed  to  Wisconsin. 

John  Trout,  from  Brown  County,  Ohio,  came  in  the 
fall  of  1838,  and  settled  on  S.  6.  In  1842  went  to  Ohio 
on  a  visit,  and  died  there.  .  He  left  six  children : 
John  M.,  married  Abby  Angell  Fry,  now  living  in 
Kansas  ;  William  C,  married  Mary  Morehead,  live 
in  V^ermillion  ;  Susan,  married  John  Morehead,  now 
a  widow  ;  Sarah  M.,  married  Hiram  Cole,  and  lives  in 
Kansas  ;  Harriet,  married  Salathiel  Snell,  in  Deer 
Park. 

Dea.  John  T.  Ross,  from  Clermont  County,  Ohio, 
came  in  1836,  and  settled  on  Sec.  6,  and  died  in 
1837,  aged  about  80,  leaving  three  children  :  Archi- 
bald Tweed,  went  to  Missouri  and  died  there  ;  Henry, 


388  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

also  went  to  Missouri ;    the  daughter  married  John 
Black,  and  went  to  Iowa. 

George  Gleim,  and  wife,  Katharine  Weitzel,  came 
from  German}^  to  Baltimore,  in  1834,  and  settled  on 
S.  36,  T.  32,  it.  3,  in  1840.  His  wife  died  in  1858, 
leaving  two  children  :  Frederick,  who  occupies  the 
homestead,  and  is  a  successful  farmer  ;  Anna,  is  now 
living  in  Texas.  Mr.  Gleim  married  a  second  wife, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children,  all  living  in  the  town 
of  Bruce. 

Isaac  Wheatland,  and  wife,  came  from  England 
to  Ohio,  and  fi?oni  Ohio  here ;  made  a  claim  on 
Section  33,  in  1836,  where  he  lived  till  his  death. 
His  wife  died  about  1843,  and  he  again  married. 
About  the  year  1846  he  was  drowned  while  crossing 
the  Illinois  river  at.  Ottawa.  He  left  six  children  : 
Elizabeth,  married  William  Wedgebury,  now  living 
in  Iroquois  County  ;  Mary  Ann,  who  married  and 
went  to  Livingston  County  ;  one  son  died  single  ; 
William,  married  Miss  Casey,  lives  in  Farm  Ridge; 
George  and  Ellen. 

Amos  Clark,  brother  to  Beebe,  came  from  Con- 
necticut in  1837  ;  purchased  a  farm  on  Sections  20 
and  29,  and  in  1839  sold  to  Myron  B.  Bennett,  and 
returned  to  Connecticut. 

Myron  B.  Bennett  came  from  Connecticut  in  1839; 
in  1842  he  married  Mary  Stuart  ;  he  was  an  ener- 
getic and  successful  farmer ;  he  died  in  1856,  leaving 
a  widow  and  two  children  ;  his  widow  died  in  1858. 
His  son,  Jasper,  married  Maggie  Ackley,  of  New 
Milford,  Ct.,  and  lives  in  Evanston,  111.  ;  Ella,  at 
present,  resides  with  them. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Farm  Ridge.  389 

Dr.  Johnson  Hatcli,  and  wife,  came  from  New 
Preston,  Ct.,  in  1837,  and  bought  the  farm  of  Kirjeth 
A.  Hunt.  An  old  experienced  physician,  his  ser- 
vices were  in  demand  during  the  sickly  seasons  of 
1838  and  '39,  and  the  release  from  labor  which  he 
sought  by  coming  West  was  hardly  found  ;  he  re- 
turned to  Connecticut  in  1841. 

John  W.  Calkins,  and  wife.  Miss  Page,  came  from 
Salisbury,  Ct.,  in  1838,  and  settled  on  Sec.  19.  Mrs. 
Calkins  died  in  1838.  He  married  Miss  Beardsley, 
of  Connecticut,  who  died  soon  after.  He  then  mar- 
ried Cynthia  Bishop,  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Calkins 
removed  to  Deer  Park  in  1842,  and  subsequently  to 
Ottawa,  where  he  died,  leaving  four  children : 
James,  who  married,  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
trade  in  Ottawa,  subsequently  ,  in  Chicago,  and  is 
now  manufacturing  lumber  at  Manistee,  Mich.  ; 
Helen,  married  Edgar  Baldwin,  from  Connecticut, 
and  lives  near  Vermillionville  ;  Mary,  married  Henry 
M.  Baldwin,  from  Connecticut,  and  settled  in  Deer 
Park — Mr.  Baldwin  died,  and  Mary  is  now  the  wife 
of  Henry  Page,  in  California  ;  William  W. ,  married 
Louise  Hossack,  and  lives  in  Chicago. 

Charles  H.  Gfreen,  son  of  Henry  Green,  of  Ottawa, 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  father,  and  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 3 ;  he  married  Jane  Loyd,  and  has  three 
daughters.  Mr.  Green  cultivates  a  large  farm  and 
has  a  line  herd  of  short-horn  stock. 


390  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


FALL  RIVER. 

Fall  River  embraces  that  part  of  Township  33, 
Range  4,  lying  south  of  the  Illinois  river.  It  de- 
rives its  name  from  the  grand  rapids  of  the  Illinois, 
which  lie  along  its  northern  boundary.  Until  1863 
it  formed  a  part  of  the  town  of  Grand  Rapids,  which 
was  also  named  from  the  same  natural  feature.  It 
embraces  considerable  fertile  bottom  lands  along  the 
river.  The  south  bluff  of  the  river,  extending  along 
its  entire  northern  boundarj',  is  a  marked  object  in 
its  topography  ;  covered  with  timber,  with  points 
extending  back  into  the  prairie,  and  having  the 
Covell  Creek  timber  on  the  southwest ;  all  its  peo- 
ple have  eas}^  access  to  that  important  article.  The 
prairie  is  rolling,  and  as  fertile  as  that  of  its  sister 
towns. 

The  first  settler  in  the  limits  of  the  present  town 
was  James  Clalloway  ;  he  came  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Ohio,  near  Sandusky,  and  remained  there  three 
years  ;  he  visited  the  Illinois  river  in  the  fall  of  1824, 
and  is  said  to  have  spent  some  months  in  hunting, 
trapping,  and  exploring  the  country  ;  moved  his 
famil}^  to  Chicago  in  1825,  and  wintered  there  ;  in 
1826  he  bought  a  claim  on  S.  24,  T.  3,  R.  4,  which 
was  first  made  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Rawson, 
who  sold  to  Ephraim  Sprague,  and  Sprague  sold  to 
Gallowa}^,  where  he  made  a  home  and  spent  his 
days.  His  first  wife  died  in  1830 :  her  children  are : 
George,  claimed  to  be  the  first  white  male  child 
born  in  the  county,  now  living  near  the  old  farm  ; 
John,  died  in  Missouri ;    Susan,  married  Joel  Ellis, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Fall  River.  391 

lives  in  Chicago ;  Jane,  married  Mr.  Halloway ; 
Mary,  married  Mr.  Clyburne,  and  lives  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Galloway's  second  wife  was  Matilda  Stipes; 
her  children  are  :  Archibald,  married  Mary  Dicker- 
man,  and  lives  near  the  old  farm  ;  Marshall,  who  is 
a  conductor  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad  ;  Samuel,  lives  in  Michigan  ;  Sarah,  mar- 
ried Mr.  Pearson,  and  is  living  on  the  old  farm  ; 
James,  is  living  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Galloway  died 
in  1863,  aged  73  j^ears.     His  widow  died  in  1864. 

Abraham  Trumbo  was  born  in  Pendleton  County, 
Ya.,  and  resided  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  eighteen 
years  ;  left  there  for  Illinois  in  November,  1829, 
with  the  Greene  Colony.  That  companj^  crossed 
White  river,  in  Indiana,  in  the  morning,  and  Mr. 
Trumbo  arrived  on  its  banks  the  evening  of  tlie  same 
day  ;  it  had  become  swollen  during  the  day  so  that 
he  was  detained  four  weeks  before  he  could  cross. 
He  went  to  Sangamon  Count}^,  where  he  wintered, 
and  reached  La  Salle  County  in  the  spring  of  1830 ; 
he  first  bought  a  claim  of  William  Richey  on  S.  17, 
and  afterwards  purchased  on  Sees.  14  and  22.  He 
was  the  first  Supervisor  of  the  town.  He  died  Oct. 
7tli,  1865,  aged  73  years,  and  his  wife,  Esther  Dyer, 
died  in  April,  1865.  His  children  were  :  Jane,  who 
died  in  1848  ;  Ambrose,  married  Casbia  Gentleman,  is 
a  wealthy  farmer  on  the  old  farm  ;  Margaret,  married 
John  S.  Armstrong,  is  living  in  Mission  ;  Rebecca, 
married  Samuel  Parr,  and  lives  in  Rutland  ;  Jack- 
son, died  of  cholera  in  1848. 

John  Brown,  from  Missouri,  came  in  1829  ;  settled 
at  the  ford  of  the  Illinois  river,   two   miles   above 


392  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Ottawa,  which  bears  his  name.  He  was  drowned  in 
sight  of  his  house  while  crossing  the  Illinois  in  re- 
turning from  the  land  sale  in  1835.  The  family  left 
in  1841. 

John  Powers,  from  Bridge  water,  Mass.,  came  to 
Southern  Illinois,  and  from  there  here  in  1834,  and 
settled  on  Section  26.  He  was  the  first  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  the  town.  He  died  in  1862  ;  his  widow, 
Nancy  Ford,  from  Litchfield,  Ct.,  still  survives.  He 
left  six  children  :  Charles  R.  Powers,  lived  near  the 
old  homestead,  has  removed  West ;  Aaron  F.,  is  in 
Grundy  County  ;  John  H.  ;  Mary,  married;  Lucy, 
married  Andrew  Greenless  ;  Lura,  married  Samuel 
Hammond.     The  family  have  all  left  the  county. 

Reeder  Galloway,  brother  of  James,  married 
Rachel  Stipes  ;  died  long  ago,  leaving  one  son^ 
John  R..,  of  Marseilles. 

Samuel  R.  Lewis  is  of  Quaker  parentage  ;  his 
parents,  Jehu  Lewis,  and  Rachel  Mills,  from  Penn., 
settled  in  Putnam  County,  in  1833.  Samuel  R.,  with 
his  wife,  Ann  Harley,  removed  to  Section  21  in  Fall 
River,  in  1843.  He  held  the  office  of  County  Treas- 
urer two  successive  terms  ;  has  been  Supervisor  of 
the  town  several  terms,  and  is  now  chaii'man  of  the 
County  Board.  His  children  are:  William,  who 
married  Ellen  Eichelberger,  lives  in  Grand  Rapids  ; 
Edward  C,  educated  for  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
— he  married  IS^ellie  Armstrong,  and  took  charge  of 
the  large  farm  and  stock  business  left  by  his  wife's 
father,  J.  W.  Armstrong  ;  Charles,  has  just  gi-ad- 
uated  from  Oberlin  College,  and  is  now  in  the  law 
office  of  Lawrence,  Campbell  &  Lawrence,  of  Chicago ; 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Fall  River.  393 

S.  Morris  is  in  Chicago  University.  Mrs.  Lewis, 
mother  of  Samuel  R.,  died  in  1874  ;  her  son  buried 
her  beside  hei'  husband  in  the  Quaker  burying- 
ground  at  Clear  Creek,  Putnam  County. 

William  Gentleman,  from  Vermont,  settled  in  the 
town  on  Section  18,  in  1834,  and  is  still  on  the  old 
farm  ;  has  buried  two  wives,  and  has  four  children  : 
Eliza  ;  William,  has  recently  graduated  at  Cornell 
University  ;  James  ;   and  one  younger  daughter. 

Patrick  Harrigan,  from  Ireland  to  Boston,  and 
came  here  in  1836  ;  died  1872  ;  widow,  and  oldest 
daughter,  live  in  South  Ottawa. 

A.  M.  Ebersol,  son  of  Joseph  Ebersol,  came  with 
his  father' s  family  in  1834.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
C.  C.  Whittlesey,  by  the  Rev.  Owen  Lovejoy,  the 
renowned  abolitionist,  in  1844,  having  made  a  jour- 
ney to  Princeton  to  have  the  ceremony  performed  by 
that  distinguished  man.  Mr.  Ebersol  has  been  an 
active  citizen  ;  he  has  been  Superintendent  of  a 
Sunday  School  twenty-three  years  ;  Justice  of  the 
Peace ;  Elder  in  the  Presbj'^terian  Church  ;  Town 
Clerk  twelve  years,  and  Secretary  of  the  Old  Set- 
tlers' Association.  He  has  six  children  :  Calistine 
and  Elizabeth,  are  at  home;  Lelia,  married  Lewis 
Hodgson,  went  West ;  James,  married  Miss  Try  on, 
and  lives  in  Ford  County ;  E.  Corinne,  wife  of  Mr. 
Coleman,  lives  near  home  ;  Alice,  married  Charles 
T.  Ferrel. 


26 


394  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

FREEDOM. 

The  town  of  Freedom  embraces  the  surve^^ed 
Township  35  X.,  of  R.  3  East,  and  is  mostly  prairie. 
Indian  creek  passes,  in  a  southeast  direction,  across 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  town.  On  the  banks  of 
the  creek  are  about  two  and  one-half  sections  of 
timber,  which  was  originally  of  excellent  quality, 
and  was  the  attraction  that  induced  the  settlement. 
The  settlement  commenced  in  1830.  and  was  broken 
up  by  the  Indians,  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  of  1832. 
After  the  war,  the  surviving  settlers  returned,  and 
others  came  in,  and,  as  a  part  of  Indian  Precinct, 
and  later,  as  the  town  of  Freedom,  it  has  been  a 
prominent  and  prosperous  section  of  the  county. 
The  sad  story  of  the  massacre  of  three  families  of 
its  pioneers,  gives  a  melancholy  interest  to  its  his- 
tory, and  to  the  locality  where  it  occurred.  Each 
succeeding  generation,  with  bated  breath,  will  listen 
to  the  recital,  till  the  banks  of  Indian  creek  will 
become  historic  ground  tlirough  all  the  future. 

William  Munson  has  recentl}'  erected  a  fine  marble 
monument  at  the  grave,  where  the  fifteen  victims 
were  buried.  It  is  in  view  of  the  public  road,  lead- 
ing from  Freedom  to  Earl,  on  the  northeast  side  of 
the  creek,  and  as  the  white  column  meets  the  view, 
the  traveler  will  instinctively  heave  a  sigh  of  sym- 
pathy for  the  tragic  fate  of  the  first  pioneers.  The 
inscriptions  are  as  follows  : 

Davis,  "Wife  and 
five  Children. 


Wm.  Hall,  aged  45.     !     Wm     Petigrew, 
Mary   J.    R.    Hall,         Wife,    and    two 
aged  45.  Children. 

Elizabeth    Hall, 
aged  8. 


Killed  May  20th,  1832. 


Emery  George. 


SketcJi  of  Settlers  —  Freedom.  395 

William  Hall,  born  in  Georgia,  was  married  to 
Mary  J.  R.  Wilburs,  in  Kentucky  ;  moved  to  Illinois  ; 
from  there  to  near  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  1825 ; 
made  a  farm  at  Mackinaw,  and  then  went  to  the 
lead  mines,  neaV  Gfalena  ;  followed  mining  three 
years,  then  moved  to  Bureau  Creek,  and  to  near 
Lamoille,  Bureau  County.  In  the  spring  of  1832, 
sold  his  claim  to  Aaron  Gfunn,  and  moved  to  Indian 
Creek,  where  he,  with  his  wife,  and  one  child,  were 
killed  by  Indians,  May  20,  1832.  His  eldest  daugh- 
ter. Temperance,  married  Peter  Cartwright,  nephew 
of  Dr.  Cartwright.  For  the  others,  see  narrative  of 
the  massacre. 

Mr.  Davis,  from  Kentucky ;  settled  on  Indian 
creek,  S.  W.  I  S.  2,  in  1830— the  first  in  that  region. 
His  wife  was  daughter  of  John  Hays,  the  first  settler 
at  Pern — they,  with  five  children,  were  killed  at  the 
massacre.     Their  three  oldest  sons  escaped. 

William  Petigrew,  from  Kentucky,  wife  and  two 
children,  were  stopping  with  Davis  at  the  time  of 
the  massacre,  and  all  were  killed.  Mr.  Petigrew 
came  to  Bailey's  Grove  at  an  early  day,  and  was  then 
single  ;  he  is  said  to  have  married  a  widow,  with 
two  children,  and  these  constituted  his  family  when 
he  went  to  Holderman's  Grove,  and  from  there  to 
Indian  Creek,  in  1832,  where  he  proposed  to  settle, 

John  H.  Henderson,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Powell, 
came  from  Tennessee  in  1830,  he  located  on  Section 
11.  He  was  in  the  field  on  the  south  side  of  Indian 
creek,  planting  corn,  when  the  massacre  took  place 
by  the  Sauk  Indians,  May  20, 1832  ;  he,  with  others, 
escaped  to  Ottawa.     He  was  an  active,  enterprising 


396  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

citizen,  and  a  leading  abolitionist.  He  died  June  17, 
1848,  much  regretted.  His  widow  still  survives, 
living  with,  lier  children.  Her  children  are  :  Mary, 
married  A.  P.  Devereau,  of  Freedom  ;  George,  in 
Iowa ;  Frances,  married  Richard  Scott,  in  Califor- 
nia ;  Martlia,  married  James  Clark,  of  Sycamore  ; 
Sarah,  married  George  Martin  ;  Erastus  T.,  married 
Miss  Norton  ;  Annetta,  married  Charles  Martin,  of 
Vermont. 

William  Munson  came  from  Indiana  to  Putnam 
County,  and  from  there  here  in  1833  ;  he  purchased 
the  farm,  owned  by  William  Hall  at  the  time  he  was 
killed  by  the  Indians,  on  Section  1.  He  mariied 
Rachel  Hall,  who  was  taken  away  prisoner  by  the 
Sauk  Indians,  May  20,  1832.  In  1837  he  laid  out 
the  town  of  Munson,  which  has  hardly  realized  the 
expectations  of  its  founder.  His  wife  died  May  1, 
1870.  Mr.  Munson  still  occupies  the  farm  where  he 
has  spent  the  most  of  his  life.  He  has  four 
daughters  and  three  sons  :  Irena,  married  Dr.  Geo. 
Vance  ;  Miranda,  married  Samuel  Dunnavan,  of 
Adams:  Fidelia,  married  George  Shaver,  of  Rut- 
land ;  Phebe,  married  John  Reed,  of  Ottawa  ;  Wil- 
liam, married  Delia  Shaver ;  Lewis  and  Elliott,  at 
home. 

David  B.  Martin,  with  his  wife  and  one  son, 
came  trom  Ohio  in  1833,  and  purchased  the  claim 
owned  by  Davis,  where  the  massacre  took  place. 
Mrs.  Martin  returned  to  Ohio,  and  died  there.  Mr. 
Martin  married  the  widow  of  Wm.  Seabry;  moved 
to  Wisconsin,  joined  the  Fourierites,  then  to  Sanga- 
mon County,  where  he  died. 


SJceicJb  of  Settlers  —  Freedom.  397 

John  W.  Lyman,  and  wife,  Jerusha  Newcomb, 
came  from  Charlotte,  Vt.,  in  1833;  he  settled  on 
Section  24.  He  has  one  child  :  John,  married 
Emma  Ford,  second  wife.  Miss  Williams. 

Jonathan  Root,  and  family,  came  from  Ohio  to 
the  creek  in  the  spring  of  1834.  He  raised  a  family 
of  eight  children.  His  wife  and  two  daughters  died 
long  since  ;  one  son,  Rasina,  was  killed  in  the  late 
war ;  the  others  are  widely  scattered ;  one  only, 
Oscar,  remains  here.     Mr.  Root  died  in  1840. 

William  Barbour  came  from  Evansville,  Ind.,  in 
1834  ;  he  married  Miss  Hinkley ;  was  an  active 
democratic  politician  ;  held  the  office  of  County 
Commissioner,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature. 
He  died  in  1876. 

Ethan  Z.  Allen,  and  wife,  Lydia  Marsh,  came  from 
Tinmouth,  Rutland  County,  Vt.,  in  1834  ;  he  settled 
on  Section  13.  He  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  thirty-five  years,  when  he  resigned  in  1875. 
He  has  six  children  :  Eliza  Ann,  married  Edward  C. 
Hall,  she  died  in  1867;  George,  married  Martha 
Larkin,  in  Towa  ;  Milo,  at  home  ;  Minerva,  married 
Richard  Martin,  of  Freedom  ;  Lucetta,  married 
Newton  Davis,  in  Harding. 

Samuel  King,  and  wife,  came  in  1836  ;  nativity 
not  known.  Mrs.  King  died  at  John  Henderson's 
soon  after — the  first  natural  death  in  town. 

Benjamin  Seabring,  and  wife,  came  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1834,  and  settled  on  Section  3  ;  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  and  died  there. 

Thomas  Seabring,  and  wife,  came  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1834,  and  settled  on  Section  3 ;  moved  to 
California  in  1852. 


398  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

William  Seabring,  and  wife,  came  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1834.  and  settled  on  Section  3  :  died  in 
Ottawa  in  1850.     His  widow  married  David  Martin. 

Yolney  Beckwith,  and  wife,  Mary  A.  Piper,  came 
from  Herkimer  Connt3^  N.  Y.,  in  1835  :  moved  to 
Ottawa.  He  died  in  1861,  leaving  three  children : 
Edwin  B.,  married  Lizzie  Hanfelt.  live  in  Seneca; 
Daniel,  married  Josephine  B.  Ford,  live  at  Ottawa  ; 
Mary  P.  married  John  Hoag,  at  Marysville,  Cal. 

Hiram  Munson,  came  in  March,  1833,  and  died  in 
July,  1836,  at  the  house  of  his  brother,  William 
Munson — the  second  natural  death  in  the  town. 

Alanson  Munson  came  in  the  fall  of  1836, 
and  settled  on  Section  11.  In  1840,  removed  to 
Bureau  County,  where  he  and  his  wife  died  soon 
after. 

Milton  B.  Ruperts,  came  in  1835,  and  settled  on 
Section  1  ;  he  was  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
Indian  Precinct.  His  wife  died  ;  he  married  a  Miss 
Terr}^,  and  moved  to  McDonough  County. 

John  Hubbard,  and  wife,  from  Homer,  Cortland 
County,  X.  Y.,  settled  on  Sec.  14.  in  1835.  An 
industrious,  worthy  man  :  an  excellent  teacher  of 
sacred  music.  He  lived  several  years  with  an 
adopted  daughter  who  married  the  Hon.  M.  B. 
Castle,  of  Sandwich,  but  returned  to  his  farm  a  few 
years  before  his  death  in  1875. 

John  H.  Hosford,  and  wife,  Margaret  Mj^ers, 
came  from  Orange  County,  Yermont,  to  Ohio,  in  1833, 
and  from  Ohio  here  in  1837.  His  family  came  in 
the  si3ring  of  1838,  and  settled  on  S.  23 ;  removed 
to  Ottawa  in  1875.     Has  six  children  :   Fear  R..  mar- 


Sketch  of  Settlers — Freedom.  399 

ried  Robert  Rowe,  on  the  old  farm  ;  Mary,  married 
Hugh  McCiure  ;  Arabella,  married  W.  Ct.  Brown  ; 
Sarah  P.,  married  Frank  Condon;  Josephine  C, 
married  George  Lamb  ;  Charles,  married  Sarah  S. 
Brandon. 

Rev.  Wesley  Batcheller,  a  Methodist  clergyman 
from  Brimfield,  Hampton  County,  Mass.,  was  for 
several  years  a  resident  of  Homer,  Cortland  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  member  of  the  Oneida  Conference. 
With  his  wife,  Martha  Hall,  and  nine  children,  he 
came  by  wagon  from  New  York  to  Illinois  in  1836> 
and  settled  on  Sec.  11.  They  encamped  with  such 
shelter  as  could  be  made  while  building  a  house. 
Mr.  Batcheller  is  endowed  with  a  powerful,  health- 
ful physical  organization  and  commanding  voice, 
which  has  enabled  him  to  perform  an  amount  of 
labor  in  his  chosen  field  whicli  few  could  endure. 
He  commenced  preaching  in  Indian  Precinct  in  1836, 
and  labored  in  Washington  Precinct  two  years  ;  in 
Ottawa  in  1839  ;  Hickory  Creek  in  1840  ;  Princeton 
in  1842  ;  Newark  in  1843  ;  and  was  Bible  Agent  for 
the  county  for  two  years.  He  is  now  on  the  super- 
annuated list,  yet  healtliful  and  vigorous  at  the  age 
of  77.  Manly  T.  Batcheller,  his  second  son,  died 
in  April,  1852  ;  Angeline,  died  Nov.  4,  1854,  and 
Mrs.  Batcheller  died  Feb.  17,  1868.  The  children 
now  living  are  :  Noah  S.,  who  married  Lucy  Hitch- 
cock, now  at  home  ;  Charles,  is  inDacotah  ;  Martha, 
married  William  Haskell ;  Elijali,  married  Elizabeth 
Lawry,  now  dead;  Mary,  married  John  Stockton, 
in  Kansas ;  Watson,  married  Elizabeth  Baldwin,  near 
home  ;  Joseph  B.,  married  Louisa  Wright,  in  Call- 


400  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

fornia.  Mr.  Batclieller  is  now  living  with  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Ruhama  Sampson. 

Bemus  Hall,  Mrs.  Batcheller  s  father,  arrived 
here  a  few  days  before  his  daughters  famil3%  and 
died  soon  after. 

John  Miller,  from  Cumberland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Dayton,  in  1837.  Married  Rosanna  Brad- 
shaw  ;  made  a  farm  in  town  of  Freedom,  where  he 
still  resides  ;  has  been  town  Supervisor,  and  served 
one  term  in  the  Legislature.  Rebecca,  married 
Martin  Domini ;  Alice,  married  Ira  Weaver  ;  Jesse, 
Henry,  and  Dolly,  at  home. 

Reuben  Miller,  brother  of  John,  from  same  place, 
to  Dayton,  in  1834  ;  married  a  daughter  of  David 
Letts  ;  he  is  now  a  Mormon  Elder  in   Salt  Lake. 

Charles  Miller,  also  brother  to  the  above,  came  to 
Ottawa,  in  1836 ;  was  Magistrate  in  Ottawa  several 
years  ;  now  lives  in  Chicago. 

Urial  Miller,  from  Pennsylvania,  1837  ;  married 
Rachel  St.  Clair ;  settled  in  Freedom  ;  has  three 
children. 

Benjamin  Beem,  and  wife,  Sarah  Hoffman,  from 
Licking  County,  Ohio :  came  to  La  Salle  County 
in  1837,  and  settled  on  S.  12,  on  the  right  bank  of 
Indian  creek.  Mr.  Beem  died,  1871,  aged  87.  Mrs. 
Beem  died,  July,  1877,  aged  83.  Their  surviving 
children  are  :  Mary,  who  married  Levi  Tucker,  and 
live  in  Freedom:  Elizabeth,  married  John  Hoxie,  of 
Serena  ;  Phebe,  married  Jacob  Tucker,  of  Sheridan  ; 
Sarah,  married  Elijah  Knight,  of  Adams  ;  Rachel, 
married  Charles  Brown,  and  are  on  the  old  farm ; 
Daniel,  and  Jackson,  are  in  California. 


Sketch  of  Settler's  —  Freedom.  401 

Stephen  Sampson,  from  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania, 
died  of  cholera,  in  1838,  or  1839. 

James  M.  Parker,  and  Powell,  relative  of  Hen- 
derson's wife,  came  from  Tennessee,  in  1838,  but 
soon  returned. 

Dr.  Josiali  Hall,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Arnold ; 
blacksmith  by  trade  ;  came  from  New  York,  1840  ; 
resided  here  ten  years  ;  he  died  in  Ottawa,  1874  ;  his 
widow  is  now  living  in  Ottawa. 

Hugh  M.  Gregg,  from  New  York  ;  settled  on  S. 
3  ;  died,  1838. 

Ezra  Gregg,  son  of  Hugh  ;  studied  law,  and  went 
to  Ottawa. 

Philip  Wagy,  from  Newark,  Ohio  ;  father-in-law 
to  Anthony  Pitzer.  Died  in  Ottawa,  very  aged. 
Ann,  married  Joel  Fitch.  The  other  daughter  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Randall. 

Isaac  Farwell,  brother  of  S.  B.  Farwell,  from  New 
York  to  Ohio,  and  here  1835  ;  moved  to  Winnebago 
County. 

James  Skelton  ;  tailor,  by  trade  ;  went  to  Ford 
County. 

Enos  Griggs,  married  Lovina  Hall ;  killed  by 
lightning. 

George  Scolield,  from  New  York,  in  1834  ;  came 
through  with  an  ox  team  ;  stayed  one  year,  and 
went  back  with  the  same  team  ;  stayed  in  New 
York  a  year,  then  returned  to  the  creek,  as  it  was 
then  termed  ;  found  the  land  all  claimed,  and  went 
West. 

Solomon  Holden,  from  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  came  to 
Buffalo ;  a  brickmaker  by  trade ;  was  sometime  in 


402  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

the  employ  of  the  noted  builder  and  contractor,  and 
linally  forger,  Rathbun.  He  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Munsontown  in  1836  ;  his  wife  was  Stisan 
Allen,  sister  to  Esquire  Ethan  Allen,  of  Freedom  ; 
he  removed  to  Ottawa  in  1839,  and  died  there,  leaving 
four  daughters  :  Sarah,  married  John  Batcheller  ; 
Cornelia,  married  William  AViley  ;  Mary  Elizabeth, 
married  Stephen  Jennings,  of  Ottawa  ;  Salome, 
married  Henry  King. 

June  Baxter  came  from  New  York  in  1835  ;  moved 
West. 

Minter  Baxter  came  from  New  York  in  1835  ; 
died  in  1840. 

Samuel  L.  Cody,  from  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  settled  on 
Section  13  in  1835,  and  married  Miss  Baxter,  second 
wife  widow  Kenyon,  sister  of  his  first.  Children  : 
Harriet,  married  George  Frisbin  Busnell ;  Louisa, 
married  Walter  Colton  ;  Ford  C.  ;  Joy,  died  in  the 
army  ;  Frederick,  at  home. 

Alonzo  Wilson,  from  Oliio,  came  in  1838  ;  a  stone 
mason.  He  was  School  Treasurer  here  ;  went  to 
Iowa,  and  there  elected  Judge. 

Hiram  Harding,  and  wife,  from  Wyoming,  Pa., 
came  in  1838,  and  settled  on  Sec.  14.  He  and  his 
wife  are  both  dead.  His  children  are  :  Mary,  who 
married  Mr.  Rice,  is  now  dead  ;  Charles,  died  single  ; 
Ruth,  married  H.  Worcester  ;  Park,  died  ;  John, 
lives  at  Paw  Paw  ;  Christine,  married  Mr.  Goble, 
and  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  the  Dixon  bridge. 

William  Williams,  from  AYales,  came  to  New 
York,  then  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  and  here  in 
1840.     He  married  Rachel  Davis.     He  was  a  ship 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Troy  Grove.  403 

carpenter  b}'  trade ;  settled  on  Section  8,  Mrs. 
Williams  died  in  1870.  Ellen,  married  John  Ly- 
mer  ;  John,  at  home  ;  Evan,  in  Dacotah  ;  several 
children  at  home. 

Charles  Wiley,  and  wife.  Seraph ena  Greenleaf, 
came  from  Maine,  and  settled  on  Section  10.  He 
died  in  1875 ;  his  widow  and  three  children  are 
living  :  Samuel,  married  Mar}^  Thompson,  at  Earl  ; 
Henry,  married  Rosa  Thompson  ;  Martlia,  married 
David  Davis,  of  Freedom. 

Patrick  Ferguson,  came  from  Ireland,  and  settled 
on  Section  9.  He  died  in  1872.  His  children  are  : 
Charles  A.,  who  married  Eliza  Wiley,  and  his  sec- 
ond wife,  was  Kate  Conden  ;  Mary,  married  James 
Leonard. 

Rev.  Charles  Harding,  from  Lucas  County,  Pa., 
came  in  1840.  He  was  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and 
organized  the  church  at  Harding,  and  preached, 
alternately,  there  and  at  Paw  Paw.  He  died  in 
1843.  His  widow  married  Hkani  Olmstead.  He  left 
one  child,  Almira,  who  married  Ashbel  Fuller. 


TROY  GROVE. 

The  town  of  Troy  Grove  embraces  Township  35, 
Range  1,  and  derives  its  name  from  the  line  tract  of 
timber  called  by  that  name,  which  lies  mostly  witliin 
its  limits.  The  grove  was  named  by  Warren  Root, 
one  of  the  first  settlers,  from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  the  place 
from  whence  he  came.  The  Little  Vermillion  passes 
across  the  town  from  north  to  south,  near  its  eastern 


404  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

side,  and  through  the  centre  of  the  grove,  and 
furnishes  a  tolerable  mill  j^ower.  The  grove  em- 
braces about  three  sections  of  land  in  this  town  ; 
the  remainder  of  the  town  is  prairie  of  good 
qualit3\ 

The  Trenton  limestone  crops  out  along  the  banks 
of  the  Little  Vermillion,  on  Sections  25  and  35, 
furnishing  a  very  good  building  stone,  which  is  ex- 
tensively quarried  and  of  great  value  to  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  Trenton  limestone,  at  this 
point,  is  remarkably  rich  in  fossils,  making  it  a 
point  of  much  interest  to  the  geologist  and  the 
curious  admirer  of  nature. 

Hiram  Thornton  came  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,  and 
to  Troy  Grove  in  1831 ;  was  the  first  settler  in  this 
town ;  he  settled  on  S.  14,  T.  35,  R.  1.  He  died  in 
1867.     His  wife  was  Robina  Smith. 

Warren  Root,  from  Otis,  Mass.,  and  wife,  Rosanna 
Goddard,  of  Granby,  Ct.,  came  from  Troy,  N.  Y., 
to  Troy  Grove  in  the  spring,  of  1833.  Mr.  Root 
came  in  the  fall  of  1832  and  made  a  location,  and 
returned  for  his  family.  He  located  on  Section  11. 
Selden,  the  eldest  son,  preceded  the  familj^  a  few 
days,  to  prepare  for  their  reception,  and  died  just 
before  their  arrival. .  Mr.  Root  died  about  1848. 
Mrs.  Root  died  in  1875,  aged  95  j^ears. 

Nathan  Wixom,  brother  to  Justin  D.,  from  Taze- 
well County,  came  here  in  1833,  and  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 35  :  went  to  California  in  1843. 

Reuben  AVixom,  from  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
wife,  Clarissa  Atwater,  from  New  Haven,  Ct.,  came 
to   Sangamon  County,   111.,   in  1827,     to    Tazewell 


SketcJi  of  Settlers  —  Troy  Grove.  405 

County  in  1829,  and  to  Troy  Grove  in  1836,  and  set- 
tled on  Sec.  10.  He  was  the  father  of  the  Wixom 
brothers  who  came  with  him,  except  the  two  eldest, 
Justin  and  Nathan,  who  preceded  him.  He  died 
in  1847.  His  chiklren  were  :  Justin  D.  and  Nathan, 
above  named  ;  Chauncy,  wlio  came  with  his  father, 
married  Miss  Hawks,  settled  on  Section  10;  Abram, 
married  Miss  Scott ;  Henry  W.,  married  Miss  Tich- 
nor,  second  wife  Miss  Eckert ;  Urbin,  married,  and 
all  the  family  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Troy  Grove. 

Justin  Dewey  came  from  Ohio  in  the  fall  of  1833, 
and  settled  on  Section  13.  He  died  in  1849,  aged  70 
years. 

Thomas  Welch,  and  wife,  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio,  and  from  there  here  in  1834;  settled  on  Section 
26.  He  died  in  1862.  He  had  a  large  family  widely 
scattered,  but  noted  for  ability  and  prominence  in 
their  respective  localities:  Thomas,  Jr.,  came  with 
his  father,  he  married  Bethiah  McLaughlin,  and  is 
now  in  Iowa  ;  John,  has  been  Chief  Justice  of  Ohio  ; 
Belinda — then  the  widow  Fairchild^ — came  with  the 
family,  went  to  Rock  River,  then  to  Iowa,  now  in 
Oregon  ;  one  daughter,  married  Wm.  Winterton. 

Jesse  F.  Wixom,  brother  of  Reuben,  came  from 
the  same  place,  in  1835,  and  settled  on  Section  24. 
A  local  Methodist  preacher  ;  soon  removed  to  Min- 
nesota, and  died  there. 

George  S.  Ransberger,  and  wife,  came  from  Iowa 
in  1835,  and  settled  on  Section  25.  His  son,  David 
S.,  married  Rebecca  Evans,  and  settled  on  Section  36; 
Catharine,  married  John  S.  Simpson. 

William  Winterton,  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,    and 


406  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

here  in  1834  ;  luarried  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Welch  ; 
he  died  1855  ;  his  wife  died  before  him,  leaving  three 
children,  who  have  all  left  this  county. 

Welch,  Ransberger,  Simpson,  Winterton,  and 
Kelsej,  all  came  from  Sandy,  now  in  Putnam  Co., 
to  Tro}^  Grove,  having  stopped  there  temporarily. 

Zophar  Holcomb.  and  wife,  Lucy  Goddard,  from 
Maine,  with  Gillett.  in  1833.  Had  five  children  : 
Harlan,  married  Miranda  Brook  :  Warren,  died ; 
Flora,  married  Asahel  Baldwin,  her  second  hus- 
band was  a  Mr.  Dutton,  she  is  now  in  Iowa  ;  Sophia, 
married  Mr.  Axtel,  they  live  in  Kansas ;  Harriet, 
is  deceased. 

Riverius  Goddard.  and  wife.  Miss  Buttles,  from 
New  York,  in  1837  ;  a  blacksmith  by  trade  :  moved 
to  Michigan.  The  widow  Arsenith  Bellamy,  (who 
came  in  1837  .and  died  in  1848),  Mrs  Root,  Gillett, 
and  Holcomb,  were  all  sisters. 

John  Taylor,  and  wife,  Rebecca  Hopkinson,  from 
England,  came  in  1837 :  settled  on  S.  35  ;  died 
1860  ;  his  wife  died  1870.  Two  of  the  children  are  in 
Iowa.     One  in  Ford  Countv,  Illinois. 

Charles  Stevens,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Levi  Kelsey, 
from  Berlin,  Connecticut,  in  1837  ;  his  wife  was  Ann 
Hopkinson,  the  widow  Melville,  when  she  married 
him  ;  they  moved  to  Oregon  in  1852 ;  are  now  at 
Astoria. 

Roswell  Dewey,  from  Great  Barrington,  Berk- 
shire County,  Massachusetts;  settled  here  in  1838; 
died  in  fall  of  the  same  year.  Had  children: 
Sarah,  married  the  Rev.  N^hum  Gould;  William 
R.,  married  Paulina  Pratt,  now  in  Mendota. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Troy  Grove.  4.01 

Richard  Malony,  from  Ireland,  in  1835  ;  married 
Miss  Gardner  ;  settled  on  S.  33. 

Hartly  Setcliel,  from  England,  in  1837  ;  he  mar- 
ried Amanda  Goddard,  and  settled  on  S.  2. 

John  Ferguson  came  in  1838 ;  had  two  sons : 
James,  married  Miss  Brown,  lives  in  Mendota ; 
John,  is  a  ba<^helor,  has  been  Supervisor  of  Troy 
Grove. 

Thomas  Orr,  from  Scotland. 

David  McLaughlin,  and  wife,  Mary  Winslow,  came 
from  New  York  to  Troy  Grove  in  1834.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Laughlin died  in  1867,  and  Mr.  McLaughlin  died  in 
1869.  Their  children  were  :  -David,  who  married 
Fanny  Davis  ;  Edward,  married  Phebe  Masterman, 
live  in  Minnesota  ;  AVilliam,  married  Miss  Edwards, 
and  lives  at  home ;  Augustus,  married  Amanda 
Stevenson,  live  in  Dimmick  ;  Mary  Jane,  married 
O.  J.  Gibbs,  both  are  dead  ;  Bethiah,  married  Thos. 
Welch,  now  living  in  Iowa  ;  Sarah,  married  Samuel 
Wilson,  of  Rock  Falls  ;  Charles,  married  Melissa 
Wixom,  daughter  of  Justin  D.  Wixom,  live  in 
Dimmick. 

William  Dunlap,  from  New  York,  came  to  Troy 
Grove  in  1886,  and  remained  here  two  or  three  years. 
He  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Nathaniel, 
Minzo,  and  M.  L.  The  last  was  a  prominent  horti- 
culturist, and  was  for  many  years  distinguished 
as  the  agricultural  correspondent  of  the  Chicago 
Tribune  over  the  signature  of  •'  Rural." 

Jason  Gurley  came  from  East  Hartford,  Ct.,  to 
Ottawa  in  1834,  and  to  Troy  Grove  in  1835.  His 
children   were:   Jason,  Jr.,  who  came  to  Calumet 


408  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

in  1830,  and  to  Troy  Grove  in  1835,  and  bouglit  a 
claim  of  Welch  ;  Julius,  was  killed  at  Ottawa  by 
a  fall  from  the  bluff  ;  Joel,  died  in  1848  ;  John 
A.,  of  Cincinnati,  was  a  noted  Universalist  preacher, 
and  editor — was  appointed  Governor  of  Montana, 
but  died  before  assuming  the  office  ;  Delia,  mar- 
ried Ralph  Woodruff,  of  Ottawa  ;  Sarah,  married 
Joseph  Hall. 

Wm.  A.  Hickok,  from  Grand  Isle  Co.,  Vt.,  to  Union 
Grove,  Putnam  Co.,  in  1833  ;  June  16,  1834,  to  Bai- 
ley's Point  with  Rev.  N.  Gould  and  Isaac  Freden- 
burgh,  then  to  Granville  and  Troy  Grove  in  Nov. , 
1836  ;  was  Deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ; 
opened  the  first  store  kept  at  Homer  ;  a  worthy 
man.  He  died  May  5,  1852 ;  his  widow  resides 
with  her  daughter  at  Homer,  much  respected,  aged 
74.  Had  three  sons  :  Lorenzo  B.,  who  is  Supervisor 
of  Troy  Grove  ;  Hiram,  married  Martha  Edwards, 
and  holds  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  Troy 
Grove;  James  B.,  born  and  raised  at  Troy  Grove 
became  notorious  on  the  western  frontier  and  earned 
the  sobriquet  of  "Wild  Bill"  ;  a  man  of  superior 
physical  form,  over  six  feet  tall,  lithe  and  active, 
he  was  more  than  a  match  for  the  roughs  he  met  on 
the  debatable  ground  between  civilized  and  savage 
life,  and  is  said  to  have  often  killed  his  man  ;  at  one 
time  he  is  said  to  have  killed  four  in  sixty  seconds — 
they  were  on  his  track  seeking  his  life.  He  served 
with  Jim  Lane  in  the  Kansas  troubles.  He  was 
elected  Constable  while  a  minor  in  Kansas ;  was 
for  two  years  U,  S.  Marshall  at  Abilene,  and  was 
regarded  as  a  very  efficient  and  reliable  officer.     He 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Troy  Grove.  409 

was  killed  at  Dead  wood,  Dakota,  Aug.  2,  1876, 
While  playing  cards  his  assailant  came  silently  be- 
hind him  and  shot  him  through  the  head.  His 
murderer  was  tried  by  a  mob  jury  and  acquitted, 
but  subsequently  arrested  under  forms  of  law,  con- 
victed and  hung. 

WilJiam  G.  Shed,  and  wife,  Lucy  R.  Noyes,  from 
Massachusetts,  came  in  1835;  died  in  1851  or '52  ; 
his  widow  is  now  living.  His  children  are  :  Harriet, 
who  married  James  Hastings — she  is  dead  ;  Clinton, 
married  Emil}"  Reed,  in  Mendota. 

Joshua  Brown,  from  Chester  County,  Pa. ,  to  Erie 
County,  N.  Y.,  came  here  in  1835,  and  settled  on 
Section  10,  at  the  head  of  the  grove.  He  died  in 
1842.  His  widow  kept  a  tavern,  which  all  the  old 
settlers  will  remember.  She  is  now  living  at  Rocky 
Falls  ;  had  a  large  family,  none  of  whom  are  re- 
maining here  :  Hannah,  married  Sylvester  Warren  ; 
Lydia,  married  Martin  South  ;  Thomas,  is  in  Bureau 
County  ;  Sarah,  is  in  California. 

Levi  Kelsey,  and  wife,  Emma  Stevens,  came  from 
Hartford,  Ct,,  in  1833,  first  stopped  on  Sandy  creek, 
in  the  spring,  and  then  went  to  Paw  Paw  Grove, 
where  he  built  the  first  house  in  that  locality.  He 
settled  in  Troy  Grove  in  the  spring  of  1834  ;  his 
family  came  in  September  of  the  same  year.  For  the 
first  three  or  four  years  he  sold  clocks  and  notions, 
and  traded  with  the  Indians  ;  had  a  store  on  Sandy 
creek  ;  here  he  cultivated  a  farm  and  loaned  money; 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Notary  for  twenty 
years  ;  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  County,  and  Com- 
missioner to  divide  the  (county  under  the  Township 

27 


410  History  of  La  Salle  CovMty. 

Organization  Act.  In  1856  lie  moved  to  Mendota, 
and  soon  after  engaged  in  banking ;  now  retired. 
He  has  two  daughters  :  Lydia  A.,  married  James  0. 
Cram,  a  Methodist  preacher  ;  Myra,  married  Geo. 
M.  Price,  now  a  retired  banker,  'and  lives  in  Men- 
dota. 

Charles  B.  Foster  came  from  Massachusetts,  in 
1835,  married  Nancy  Wixom,  and  settled  on  Section 
34.     Famih"  of  jseven  daughters. 

Rufus  Shed,  brother  of  William  G.,  came  from 
Massachusetts  in  1836 ;  married  Martha  Welch. 
Has  one  son,  Zaccheus,  at  Fremont,  Nebraska,  and 
one  daughter. 


OPHIR. 


The  town  of  Ophir  is  identical  with  Township  35, 
Range  2,  and  is  a  prairie  region,  with  the  exception 
of  about  one  section  of  timber  on  Sections  18  and  19, 
being  a  part  of  Troy  Grove,  which  was  originally 
as  fine  a  tract  of  timber  land  as  there  was  in  the 
county.  It  lies  mostl}^  in  the  town  of  Troy  Grove, 
and  at  an  early  day  was  surrounded  by  pioneer 
settlers. 

The  first  one  here  was  Joseph  Reynolds,  and  with 
Elias  Carey  and  Hiram  Thornton,  were  the  onlj' 
families  at  this  point  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Black  Hawk  war.  They  all  left,  and  Rejnolds  did 
not  return.  Aftei;  the  war,  settlers  came  in  quite 
rapidly  and  were  about  equally  divided  between  the 
towns  of  Opliir  and  Troy  Grove,  the  grove  of  heavy 
timber  being  the  centre  of  the  settlements. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ophir.  41 1 


Joseph  Reynolds,  brother  of  Martin  Reynolds,  of 
Deer  Park,  came  from  Champaign  County,  Ohio   to 
Morgan  County,  111.,  then  to   Tazewell  County,  and 
next  to  Deer  Park,  and  to  Troy  Grove  in  the  spring 
of  1830  ;    was  the  first  settler  here.     He  settled  on 
S.  19,  T.  35,  R.  2  ;   left  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Indian  war  in  the  spring  of  1832,  and  in  the  foUow- 
mg  fall  sold  his  claim  to  Asahel  Baldwin  ;  went  to 
the  Big  Woods,  and.  from  there  to  Hickory  Creek 
now  New  Lenox,  Will  County,  where  he  died,   and 
where  his  three  sons,   Smith,  Newton,  and  Milton 
now  reside.  ' 

Elias  Carey,  and  wife,  Margaret  Collins,  from 
Ohio,  on  to  the  Wabash,  in  1829,  or  1830,  and  to 
Troy  Grove,  in  1831.  Settled  on  S.  24,  T  35  R  l 
He  left  during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  but  returned 
at  Its  close,  and  made  a  farm  in  Ophir.  He  died  in 
Mendota,  in  1868.  His  children  are :  Nancy  now 
dead  :  Sally,  married  William  Thompson,  now  in 
Iowa ;  Minerva,  married  W.  Rollins,  in  Mendota  • 
Abijah,  and  John,  went  to  Oregon  ;  Calvin,  to  Cali- 
fornia ;  Washington,  is  now  here;  Absalom,  in 
Iowa. 

Justin  D.  Wixom,  from  Erie  County,  New  York 
to  Ohio,  and,  with  his  father's  family,  from  Ohio  to 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  1827 ;  from  there  to 
Tazewell  County  in  1829,  and  to  Troy  Grove  in  1833 
and  settled  on  S.  18.     He  married   Wealthy   Ann 
Johnston.     He  died  in  1860,  aged  58. 

Asahel  Baldwin,  from  Colebrook,  Connecticut,  in 
the  fall  of  1832  ;  bought  the  claim  of  Reynolds,  on 
S.  19.     Married  Flora  Holcomb,  and  in  1834  moved 


412  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

to  Indian  creek  ;  returned  for  a  short  time,  and  went 
to  Iowa. 

John  Johnston,  and  wife,  Delila  McCarty,  from 
Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1832  ;  he  died  in  1843.  His 
children  were  :  James ;  Cynthia,  married  James 
Hall,  of  Marshall  County  ;  Aurelia,  married  James 
X.  Reader ;  Wealthy  Ann,  married  Justin  D. 
Wixom  ;  George,  married  Mary  Ann  Beaver,  set- 
tled on  S.  25,  T.  35,  R.  1— he  died  1876. 

Gideon  Gillett,  and  wife,  Ruth  Goddard,  from 
Granby,  Connecticut,  came  in  September,  1838. 
He  died  in  1866.  His  children  were :  Emeline, 
died  single ;  Almon,  died — his  widow  married  Levi 
Carter  ;  Luna,  married  Pliny  Dewey  ;  Ruth,  mar- 
ried Simon  Cooley ;  Dennis  T.,  married  Mary 
Smith,  in  Iowa  ;  Daniel  S.,  married  Susan  Worsley, 
in  Iowa  ;  Samuel  X.,  married  J.  Weisman ;  Simeon 
B.,  married  Eliza  Baker. 

Leonard  Towner,  from  New  Jersey  to  Ohio,  and 
from  there  to  Ophir  in  1883 ;  he  married  Julia, 
daughter  of  Justin  Dewej'^ ;  settled  on  S.  18,  T.  35, 
R.  2.  Has  fourteen  children  :  Ezra,  in  Washington 
Territory  ;  Jane,  married  Joseph  Billings,  of  Men- 
dota ;  Nathaniel,  married  C.  Ormsby,  in  Missouri ; 
Lorenzo,  is  dead  ;  Matilda,  married  Eakin  Smith,  is 
in  Iowa  ;  Hiram  is  in  Washington  Territory;  Letitia, 
married  Mr.  McKim;  Justin  D.,  married  Miss  Gor- 
don, second  wife  Miss  Bugg,  live  in  Vicksburg ; 
Daniel,  married  Flora  Hoffman,  live  in  Mendota  ; 
John  H.,  is  in  Kansas;  James,  married,  lives  in 
Mendota ;  Katharine,  is  in  Iowa ;  Mary,  married 
Mr.  Tobias,  in  El  Paso  ;  Horace  E.,  is  in  Texas. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Ophlr.  413 

Stephen  R.  Be^gs,  and  wife,  Elizabeth  Heath ;  a 
Methodist  preacher  of  note  on  the  frontier.  He 
came  in  1834  ;  laid  off  a  town  where  Triumph  now 
is,  and  named  it  La  Faj^ette.  It  failed  to  make  a 
town.  Beggs  moved  to  Plainfield,  and  to  Chicago. 
He  published  "The  Early  History  of  the  West  and 
Northwest,"  a  sort  of  autobiograph}'  of  himself 
and  brother  preachers  of  the  Methodist  persuasion. 

Joseph  Worsley,  born  in  England,  came  from 
Ohio  here  in  1834,  married  Margaret  Weitzell,  and 
settled  on  S.  30.  He  died  1870,  aged  87.  His  chil- 
dren are :  John,  who  married  Matilda  Morehouse  : 
Frederick  W.,  married  Caroline  Dewey  ;  William 
Y.,  married  Lovina  Cooper,  lives  on  S,  10,  T.  35, 
R.  1 — has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  Town 
Supervisor ;  Ann,  married  Charles  Webster ;  Mar- 
garet, married  William  D.  McDonald;  Joseph  F., 
married  Esther  Crandall  ;  Henrj^,  married  Miss 
Eastman. 

Edward  Y.  Waldo,  from  Sufiield,  Connecticut, 
in  1834;  settled  on  S.  18,  T.  35,  E.  2.  His  father 
was  Chaplain  to  Congress  when  over  ninety  years  of 
age ;  died  at  the  age  of  101.  He  had  three  wives. 
Hannah  Merritt,  Phebe  Rice,  and  Mary  Johnson. 
Had  two  children  :  Anna,  married  a  Mr.  Terry,  of 
Indiana ;  Charles,  married  Miss  Gfeer,  of  Bureau 
County. 

Abner  D.  Westgate,  from  New  York,  1836.  His 
wife  was  Caroline  Waterman.  His  children  were  : 
David,  who  married  Miss  Waterman,  of  Ophir ; 
Thomas,  is  single  ;  Joseph,  married  Miss  Fleming  ; 
(jreorge,  is  in  Missouri ;  Emily,  in  Ophir. 


414  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Joseph  B.  Westgate,  and  wife,  Emily  Bradwin, 
from  New  York,  in  1836.  He  died  in  1848.  His 
widow  died  1874.  They  had  three  children  :  Joseph, 
James,  and  Mary.     They  have  all  left   the  county. 

Cxurdon  Searls,  from  Connecticut,  in  1836.  He 
married  a  sister  of  Dixwell  Latlirop,  of  La  Salle. 
His  daughter,  Ann,  married  Elisha  Merritt. 

Robert  Carr,  and  wife,  from  Connecticut,  in  1837, 
settled  on  S.  29.  Mrs.  Carr  died  in  1875.  Mr.  Carr 
is  still  liAdng,  at  the  full  age  of  80  years.  His  son, 
Daniel,  married  Bridget  Gardner,  and  lives  on  S. 
29.     He,  with  Mrs.  Scranton,  are  his  only  children. 

William  H.  McDonald,  from  Erie  County,  N.  Y., 
came  with  Joshua  Brown  in  1835,  and  settled  on 
S.  7,  T.  35,  R.  2,  where  he  still  resides.  He  married 
Margaret  Worsley. 

Simon  Cooley,  from  New  York,  came  in  1836 ; 
married  Ruth  Gillett.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  ; 
went  to  Iowa. 

Hiram  Barnhart,  and  wife,  Lucy  S warts,  came 
here  in  1837,  and  left  in  1839— removed  to  the 
Wabash. 


MISSION. 


The  town  of  Mission  embraces  that  portion  of 
T.  35,  R.  5,  lying  east  of  the  Fox  river,  and  that 
portion  of  T.  36,  R  5,  which  lies  south  of  the  Fox, 
about  thirty-two  Sections.  The  Fox  forms  its  north- 
ern and  western  boundary,  and  Mission  creek  runs 
westwardly  across  the  town  near  its  centre.     There 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Mission.  415 

was  some  heavy  timber  on  both  the  creek  and  the  Fox, 
The  face  of  the  country  is  rolling,  and  the  soil  dry 
and  fertile. 

The  first  white  occupant  of  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Mission,  was  Jesse  Walker,  who  established  a 
mission  in  1826,  by  appointment  and  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at 
the  head  of  Mission  creek,  on  Section  15,  for  the 
conversion  of  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  and  a 
school  for  the  education  of  Indian  children.  The 
Indians  in  considerable  numbers  were  occupying  an 
island  in  the  Fox,  near  the  mouth  of  Somonauk 
creek  where  they  had  cultivated  corn  and  vegetables 
and  made  the  vicinity  their  head-quarters.  After 
the  white  settlers  came  in,  the  Indians  relinquished 
the  cultivation  of  the  ground,  preferring  to  buy  of 
the  whites,  paying  with  skins  or  with  money  received 
as  annuities  from  the  Government.  They  were  con- 
stitutionally lazy,  and  like  some  with  whiter  com- 
plexions, thought  honest  toil  lowered  their  dignity, 
and  to  carry  out  the  resemblance  still  farther 
for  fear  their  women  would  overstep  their  sphere, 
the  squaws  were  made  to  perform  all  the  labor  for 
the  community. 

The  mission  was  barren  of  results,  and  was  aban- 
doned early  in  1832,  and  the  buildings  were  burnt 
by  the  Sauks  the  following  summer. 

Walker  sold  forty  acres  of  improvements  to 
Washington  Bulbona,  a  half-breed  French  and 
Indian,  who  also  had  a  reservation  of  a  Section  when 
the  Indians  sold  to  the  Government,  which  became 
Section  16  when  surveyed. 


416  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Mr.  Schermerhorn,  and  liis  son-in-law,  Hazelton, 
were  the  lirst  settlers  after  the  Mission,  and  made 
claims  on  S.  10,  where  John  Armsti'ong  now  lives,  in 
1831.     Their  tragic  history  is  given  elsewhere. 

Peter  Miller,  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and 
wife,  Harriet  Holderman,  from  Maine,  came  to  Ot- 
tawa in  1830  ;  went  to  Pekin  during  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  and  to  Holderman' s  Grove  in  the  spring 
of  1833  ;  made  a  claim  and  settled  where  Sheridan 
now  is  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the  first  settler 
in  the  town  of  Mission,  excepting  tho'se  connected 
with  Jesse  Walker's  mission  among  the  Indians, 
and  Schermerhorn  and  Hazleton.  He  now  lives  in  the 
town  of  Sheridan,  the  town  having  come  to  him. 
He  has  one  son,  Dyson,  who  married  Harriet  Beards- 
ley,  and  has  eight  children. 

John  Armstrong,  then  a  minor,  came  from  Licking- 
County,  Ohio,  in  company  with  his  uncle,  John 
Strawn,  in  the  fall  of  1829.  and  hired  out  by  the 
month  near  Hennepin,  stopping  for  some  time  with 
James  Wallace  in  the  Brown  settlement,  South 
Ottawa.  He  returned  to  Ohio  in  1831;  the  same 
year  his  mother,  Mrs.  Elsa  Armstrong,  moved  to 
Illinois  Avitli  her  family.  He  again  came  to  Illinois 
in  1833.  He  married  Margaret  Trumbo,  daughter  of 
Abraham  Trumbo,  and  settled  on  Sec.  10,  town  of 
Mission,  in  June,  1834,  where  he  still  lives — a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  stock  dealer.  He  was  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  Grange  movement,  and  is  now 
Treasurer  of  the  State  Grange.  He  has  six  children : 
Abram,  married  Charlotte  Grant,  and  lives  at  Se- 
rena ;  Elsa,  married  Henry  Parr  ;  Joseph,  married 


SketcJi  of  Settlers  —  Mission.  417 


Mary  Havenliill,  in  Mission  ;  Josephine,  married 
Samuel  Parr  ;  Benjamin,  a  lawyer,  is  in  Kansas; 
Fanny,  at  home. 

Samuel  D.  Barbour,  from  Indiana,  came  in  1834 : 
settled  on  S.  17,  where  he  still  resides.  He  married 
Betsey  Neff,  and  has  eight  children  :  Susanna, 
who  married  John  Abel,  of  Mission  ;  Eleanor,  is 
single  ;  Ebenezer,  married  Mar}^  Clark,  live  in  Mar- 
seilles ;  Moses,  married  Augusta  Freeland,  of  Mis- 
sion ;  Eliphalet,  married  Emma  Blake  ;  Samuel  D., 
Jr.,  married  Emma  Corning  ;  Marion,  married  Mar- 
garet Mason  ;  Henry,  at  home. 

Beach  Fellows,  from  Penn83'lvania,  settled  on 
Section  6,  town  of  Mission,  Ma}'  1,  1835.  On  the 
farm  seven  years.  In  1855  he  was  elected  Countj^ 
Treasurer.  Has  lived  in  Ottawa  since.  He  married 
Martha  Nelson,  and  has  six  children  :  Joseph,  is 
in  Missouri ;  Jane,  in  Livingston  County  ;  William, 
Maud,  and  Delia,  at  home. 

Ebenezer  Nefi",  from  New  York,  and  wife,  Marga- 
ret Douglass,  from  Pennsylvania  to  Indiana,  from 
there  to  Holderman's  Grove  in  1835,  and  to  Mission 
in  1837.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several 
terms.     He  died  in  May,   1867. 

He  had  nineteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Betsey,  married  Samuel  Barbour,  live  in  Mis- 
sion ;  Daniel,  married  Maria  Thomas,  deceased  ; 
Olive,  married  Joseph  East,  they  live  in  Indiana  ; 
Almira,  married  William  Bogwell,  live  in  Iowa  ;  Is- 
abel, married  Joseph  Mason,  live  in  Mission  ;  Henry 
B.,  married  Mary  Freeland,  live  in  Ottawa  ;  Wm. 
D.,  married  Anna  N.  Peterson,  live  in  Ottawa  ;  Ra- 


418  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

chel,  married  ISTewell  Blodget,  live  in  Iowa  ;  Sarah- 
belle,  married  Wellington  Mason,  live  in  Kendall 
County  ;  Janette,  married  Josiah  Shaver,  live  in  Rut- 
land ;  George,  married  Thirza  Whitney,  live  in  Ot- 
tawa ;  Margaret,  married  Sanford  Whitney. 

Joseph  Mason,  from  Indiana  in  1835 ;  married  Is- 
abel Neff ;  a  blacksmith  by  trade  ;  settled  on  S.  28 
T.  35,  R.  5  ;  still  living  on  a  good  farm.  Has  nine 
children  :  George  is  in  Kendall  County ;  Daniel  is  in 
Serena  ;  W.  W.,  married  Lovina  Peister,  live  in 
Miller  ;  Ellen,  married  Milton  Reed,  at  Sheridan ; 
Sarah  Ann,  married  James  Knickerbocker  ;  Althea, 
married  Abel  Misner  ;  Lewis,  married  Ellen  Hamon  ; 
Pamelia  and  Joseph,  at  home. 

Robert  Trimble,  from  Tazewell  County,  in  1834, 
sold  his  claim  to  Robert  Rowe,  and  went  to  Mis- 
souri. 

Robert  Rowe,  a  native  of  Scotland,  with  his  wife 
Mary  McMath,  came  from  Indiana  here  in  1835  ;  has 
held  the  office  of  County  Commissioner,  and  is  a  prac- 
tical surveyor  and  mathematician  ;  still  resides  on  the 
farm  he  first  occupied.  His  wife  died  in  1  56.  He 
has  eight  children  :  James,  married,  and  lives  in  Mis- 
sion ;  Samuel,  married  Celeste  Robinson,  lives  on  the 
homestead  ;  Alfred,  is  in  Colorado  :  Mary  Ann,  mar- 
ried Cyrus  Delameter ;  Isabel,  married  John  North  ; 
Jane  M.,  married  Peter  Cunningham  ;  Amelia,  mar- 
ried Levi  Spradling ;  Emeline,  married  Delos  Rob- 
inson. 

Jesse  Pearson,  half  brother  to  Wm.  Barbour's 
Avife,  from  Indiana ;  removed,  and  died  near  Bloom- 
ington.  111. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Mission.  419 


Thomas  Bart,  from  Virginia  to  Indiana,  came 
here  in  1834  ;  settled  on  S.  15,  resided  here  a  few 
years,  removed  to  Missonri,  and  died  there.  One 
daughter,  Sarah,  married  Enoch  Spradling  ;  another, 
Lina,  lives  at  Shabona's  Grove,  widow  of  James 
Price. 

Enoch  Spradling,  and  wife,  Sarah  Dart,  came  from 
Indiana,  in  1840.  He  has  live  children  :  Rachel, 
married  Alva  Pitzer  ;  James,  married,  lives  near  the 
old  farm  ;  Elizabeth,  at  home  ;  Frances,  married  Mr. 
Snelliug,  in  Mission ;  Josephine,  married  Levi 
Rood. 

George  A.  Southworth,  and  wife,  Miss  Bowen, 
came  from  New  York,  in  1836  ;  settled  on  S.  11  ; 
died  about  ten  years  since.  He  had  two  children  : 
Mary,  married  Mr.  Southworth  ;  Marcus,  a  lawyer, 
in  Aurora. 

Anthony  Haman  came  in  1835,  and  moved  to  De 
Kalb  County. 

Conway  Rhodes  came  in  1835,  married  Miss  Ha- 
man, and  moved  to  Iowa  in  1836. 

Mr.  Poplin  came  in  1835,  married  Miss  Haman, 
and  moved  to  De  Kalb  County. 

James  Rood,  and  wife,  Miss  Babcock,  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  first  to  Connecticut,  then  to  New 
York,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1836.  Died  about 
1850 ;  his  widow  died  several  years  after. 

Launcelot  Rood,  son  of  the  foregoing,  was  a  mer- 
chant in  Georgia ;  came  to  Illinois  in  1836  ;  went  to 
Iowa  about  1850. 

Levi  H.  Rood,  son  of  James  Rood,  from  Litch- 
field County,  Ct.,  went  to  Georgia;    taught  school 


420  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


there,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1838  ;  was  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  several  terms.  He  died  in  1875.  His  first 
wife  was  L.  A.  Philips  ;  she  had  four  children : 
Mary  H.,  married  Dr.  Pierce,  of  Minooka :  James 
P.  and  Joseph  B.,  in  Will  County;  Rufus  B.,  in 
Sandwich.  His  second  wife  was  Mary  E.  Wyman, 
of  Massachusetts,  who  had  six  children:  Levi  W., 
married  Josephine  Spradling,  and  lives  with  his 
mother;  Grace  W.;  Benjamin  B.;  Julia  E.;  Ellen, 
and  Charles,  are  deceased. 

Henry  Verbeck,  from  New  York,  married  Jane 
Southworth.  He  died  in  1867.  Had  three  children  : 
James,  in  Missouri ;  Eddy,  in  Colorado  ;  Eva,  mar- 
ried Frank  Bowen  ;  Mabel,  lives  in  Millington  with 
her  mother. 

Ever  Waller  came  from  Norway  in  1835,  and 
bought  claim  of  Jesse  Pearson. 

Jesse  Pearson  came  from  Indiana  in  1835  ;  sold  to 
Waller,  and  went  to  Bloomington. 

J.  Q.  Eastwood  came  in  1836:  died  about  1847. 
His  widow  married  Nathaniel  Hibbard,  from  New 
Jersey  ;  died  some  two  years  since. 

M3''ers  Foster  came  from  Pennsylvania  in  1834 ; 
returned  in  1837  or  '38. 

Charles  Colton  came  from  New  Hampshire,  and 
settled  on  Section  15  :  moved  West. 

George  Havenhill  came  from  Nelson  County,  Ky., 
to  Tazewell  County  in  1830  :  in  1832  raised  a  crop 
near  Holderman's  Grove,  which  was  destroyed  by  the 
Indians  ;  was  County  Commissioner  in  1835  ;  died 
about  1842. 

Marshall  Havenhill.  son  of  George,  came  with  his 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Northmlle.  421 

father,  and  settled  on  S.  12,  T.  34,  R.  r^,  in  1834  ; 
married  Jane  Collins. 

Fielding  Havenhill,  son  of  George,  came  with  his 
father,  and  settled  on  Section  12,  in  1834  ;  was  mar- 
ried in  Kentucky. 

Alexander  Rowe,  and  wife,  Ann  Eliza  Philips, 
came  from  Connecticut  in  1835,  and  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 26,  where  he  still  lives,  aged  72  years.  His  wife 
died  in  1857.  His  children  are :  Robert,  married 
Fear  R.  Hosford,  and  lives  in  Freedom  ;  Ann,  mar- 
ried Hamilton  Rawlin ;  John  H.,  married  Mary 
Austin  ;  Jane  M.,  at  home  ;  Isabel,  married  Free- 
born Rawlin  ;  Edward,  married  Jennie  Angevine  ; 
Henrietta,  married  Morris  Law,  lives  in  Sheridan  ; 
Ebenezer  M.,  was  accidentally  shot  while  hunting, 
12  years  old. 

Steward  Liston,  and  wife,  came  from  New  York 
in  1837.  He  died  about  1850.  He  had  three  child- 
ren :  Lemuel,  married  Lois  Townsend  ;  Lucy,  mar- 
ried Henry  Newton  ;  Maria,  married  John  Warren. 


NORTHVILLE. 


Northville  embraces  the  most  of  Township  36, 
R.  5.  The  Fox  river  forms  its  southern  boundary, 
and  running  south westwardly  cuts  oif  from  that 
township  about  as  much  territory  as  it  takes  from 
the  town  south  of  it. 

The  town  lies  between  the  main  line  and  branch  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  and 
has  several  railroad  stations  and  market  towns  near 


422  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

its  borders,  but  none  within  its  limits,  consequent!}^ 
its  market  places,  social  institutions  and  churches 
are  mostl}^  in  the  adjoining  towns,  giving  them  the 
benefit  of  the  wealth  and  population  created  in  part 
by  the  business  from  Northville.  The  town  occupies 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  county. 

It  is  watered,  in  addition  to  the  Fox  river,  by 
Somonauk  creek,  which  runs  southerly  a  little  west 
of  the  centre  througli  the  entire  length  of  the  town  ; 
the  timber  along  its  banks  relieved  the  monotony 
of  the  otherwise  unbroken  prairie  and  prompted  the 
settlement  which  commenced  in  1834,  most  of  the 
early  settlers  coming  in  the  next  three  or  four  years. 

Letsome,  Dubois,  and  Armstrong,  were  frontier 
men  who  came  in  at  an  early  day  and  settled  near 
the  Fox,  where  they  made  claims  and  sold  to  Messrs. 
Carr,  Heath  and  Lewis. 

John  T.  Carr,  from  Onondaga  County,  NewYork, 
came  in  the  fall  of  1 836,  and  settled  on  Section  36. 
He  was  thrown  from  a  wagon  in  crossing  Fox  river, 
and  broke  his  neck. 

Charles  Carr,  son  of  John  T.,  settle  don  Sec.  36  ; 
is  now  in  Somonauk. 

Barney  S.  Carr,  brother  to  Charles,  married  Susan 
Williams  ;   lives  in  Somonauk. 

R.  D.  Carr,  brother  to  Charles,  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

Lindsey  Carr,  brother  to  the  above,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Mexican  war— Capt.  Co.  H.,  10th  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers  for  three  months  ;  also  of  the 
same  for  three  years.  He  was  killed  on  the  picket 
line  near  New  Madrid. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Northmlle.  423 

Isaac  Potter,  from  Onondaga  County,  New  York, 
came  in  1834 — said  to  liave  been  the  first  settler  in 
town.  He  settled  on  Sec.  4.  Had  two  sons :  Nelson, 
died  ;  John,  left  the  count3\ 

Darius  Potter  came  here  in  1837,  and  left  the 
county  in  a  few  years.  One  daughter,  Fanny,  mar- 
ried M.  H.  West ;   another  married  Hugh  Adams. 

Lyman  Potter  settled  on  Section  36  ;  Lydia  Ann, 
married  Frank  Bliss. 

Eli  M.  Kinne,  from  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y., 
came  in  October,  1835,  and  settled  at  the  mouth  of 
Somonauk  creek  ;  removed  to  Leland  in  1850  ;  has 
been  a  merchant  in  Leland  since  that  time.  His  first 
wife  was  Maria  Heath  ;  his  second,  Laura  Fisk.  He 
had  two  sons,  W.  C.  and  P.  F.— both  in  Iowa. 

Lewis  Supus  came  from  Germany  in  1835,  and 
settled  on  Section  7. 

Henry  Hull,  from  Stamford,  Duchess  Co.,  N.  Y., 
came  in  1838,  and  remained  here  two  and  a  half 
years. 

Joseph  Stockham  came  here  in  1836  ;  one  of  the 
first  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Mission  Precinct ;  re- 
moved to  Iowa. 

David  Crawford  from  Ireland  in  1833  ;  came  here 
in  1838  with  William  Sly  ;  removed  to  Iowa  in 
1861. 

Abijah  Haman,  and  wife.  Bought  claim  of  Du- 
bois in  1836,  and  sold  to  Bernard  ;  removed  to  New- 
ark, and  died  there.  Had  two  sons  :  John,  removed 
to  Kendall  County  in  1845  ;  Clark. 

William  Sly,  born  in  Ireland,  came  from  Huron 
County,  Ohio,  to  De  Kalb  County,  in  1833  ;  here  in 


424  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

the  fall  of  1834  ;  settled  on  S.  28,  T.  36,  R.  5.  He 
held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  twenty-five 
years  ;  died  in  September,  1876.  His  children  are  : 
Joseph  ;  Frederick,  in  Somonauk  ;  Jackson,  in 
Whiteside  County  ;  Anne,  married  W.  Grriswold, 
live  in  Kane  County  ;  Eliza,  married  Christian  El- 
derding  :  Joanna,  married  John  Jones  ;  Alice,  mar- 
ried Mr.  Gray  ;  Jane,  married  George  Shipman. 

Samuel  Lewis,  and  wife,  Delia  Ward,  (who  died 
in  1865),  came  from  Tompkins  County,  New  York, 
in  the  fall  of  1835.  In  1844  went  back  for  one  year. 
Settled  on  S.  3.  His  children  are :  Edward  W.  ; 
Charles  F.,  in  Somonauk. 

Peter  Newton,  from  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  came 
in  1836,  and  died  in  Newark. 

N.  Newton,  son  of  Peter,  came  with  his  father 
and  settled  on  Sec.  4  ;  removed  19  Mission  in  the  fall 
of  1850. 

Levi  Wright,  from  New  York,  came  in  1839  ;  was 
Supervisor  one  term. 

Conrad  Smith,  fiom  Germany,  first  to  Ottawa, 
here  1835  ;  settled  on  S.  4. 

Frederick  Smith,  from  Germany  ;  settled  on  S. 
5,  in  1835. 

Horace  Williams,  and  wife,  from  Onondaga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  came  here  1836  ;  settled  on  Sees.  20  and  21,  T. 
36,  E.  5  ;  had  two  children  :  Douglass,  married 
Elizabeth  Gould  ;  settled  on  S.  19,  T.  36,  R.  5. 
Helen  married  Charles  Merwin,  lives  at  Somonauk. 

Dr.  Heath  came  here  1834;  resided  here  several 
years,  then  moved  to  Wisconsin.  One  daughter 
married  Frederick  Weatherspoon.  Maria  married 
Eli  M.  Kinne,  now  of  Leland. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Northmlle.  425 


Orange  Potter,  from  New  York,  1835. 

Frederick  Myers,  from  Germany,  1888. 

Moses  H.  West,  and  wife,  Fanny  Potter,  fiom 
Berkshire  Connty,  Mass. ;  came  here  1837  ;  lived  some 
time  in  New  York  and  Michigan.  Settled  on  S.  19, 
T.  3G,  R.  5  ;  millwright  by  trade ;  Justice  of  the 
Peace  twelve  years.  Children  :  Charles,  editor  So- 
monauk  Gazette  ;  Clara  F.,  married  A.  D.  Charles, 
live  in  Somonank  ;  Cora  M.  and  Alma  J.,  at  home. 

James  Whitmore,  with  his  wife,  Rachel  Hyat.  sec- 
ond wife  Polly  Foster,  from  Ca3aiga  Connty,  N.  Y., 
March,  1835.  Settled  here  ;  now  lives  in  Sandoval. 
His  children  are,  Albert,  Catharine,  William  and 
Abner. 

Harvey  Whitmore.  on  Sees.  5  and  H,  1836 ;  died 
years  ago. 

Murray  Whitmore,  came  in  1836. 

David  Whitmore,  from  Caj^uga  Count3%  N.  Y.,  to 
Ohio  1836,  and  here  1839.  His  wife  was  Marv  Ann 
Mitchell.     Ha^  two  children,  Harriet  and  John. 

Joseph  Whitmore,  came  in  1836  ;  died  1851. 

Trac,y  Whitmore,  from  Cayuga  County.  N.  Y.; 
came  in  1836.  Wife,  Sarah  Vanderhoof.  He  died 
1862. 

Albert  Whitmore,  from  Cayuga  Connty.  N.  Y.. 
1836  ;  died  at  22  years  of  age  in  1844. 

Jonathan  Cooley,  came  in  1835.  Had  one  dauah- 
ter,  who  married  Ephraim  Scott. 

John  Potter,  came  in  1835  ;  died  1836. 

James  Roberts,  came  in  1835. 

William  C.  Whitmore,  from  Monroe  County,  N.  Y., 
1836;  first  wife,  Phebe  Foster;  second,  Mrs. 
Schotield. 

28 


426  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Henry  G.  Murray,  from  Cayuga  County,  X,  Y., 
1836. 

Benjamin  Daniels,  from  I^.  Y. ;  living  with  James 
Whitmore. 

Harrison  \Y.  Sweetland  and  wife,  Harriet  Brain- 
ard,  from  Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  1836  ;  bought  a 
claioi  of  Letsome  and  settled  on  Sees.  34  and  27  ;  has 
held  the  offices  of  Town  Supervisor  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  several  terms.  His  children  are : 
Charles,  married  Helen  LaMar,  lives  near  ;  Martha, 
married  Emil  Culver,  lives  in  Indiana  ;  Reuben, 
died  in  the  army  ;  Henry,  married  Miss  Underwood, 
lives  at  Newark  ;  Horatio,  Amanda  and  Hattie,  at 
home. 

James  Whitmore,  with  his  wife,  Ann  Brigham. 
from  Ca3^uga  Count}^,  X.  Y,,  to  Ohio  in  1829,  and 
from  Ohio  to  Illinois  in  1832  :  has  two  children, 
Emily  and  Martha. 

Benjamin  Whitmore,  and  wife,  Susan  Emerson, 
from  the  same  place  and  at  the  same  time  with 
James  Whitmore,  his  brother.    Has  one  child,  Susan. 

Nathaniel  Seaman,  and  wife,  Mary  Lane,  from 
the  city  of  New  York,  came  to  Illinois  in  1836,  and 
settled  on  S.  31.  In  1864  he  went  South,  as  agent 
of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  died  near  New 
Madrid.  Of  his  children  :  Fanny,  married  Edward 
Lewis,  of  Kansas ;  Anna  Mary,  married  C.  H. 
Hall,  of  Chicago  ;  Henry,  was  killed  at  Lookout 
Mountain ;  M.  Adelaide,  married  Charles  Gifford. 
of  Somonauk  i  Julia,  Charles,  and  Lucien,  at  home. 

Jacob  Seaman,  and  wife,  Jane  Kidney,  from 
Duchess  County,  New  York,  settled  here  in  1837. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Northville.  427 


and  died  in  1S64.  Of  his  children  :  Henrietta,  mar- 
ried Edward  Keenan,  of  Leland  ;  Martha  Ann,  mar- 
ried John  Keenan  ;  Byron,  and  Emma,  are  de- 
ceased ;  Delilah,  married  George  Selwin,  of  North- 
ville ;  Walter,  married  Maria  White — second  wife 
is  Ella  Stoiightonbury. 

Richard  Seaman,  and  wife,  Betsey  Searls,  from 
Duchess  County,  New  York,  in  1837.  He  died  in 
1846,  leaving  live  children  :  James,  died  in  1847 ; 
Sarah,  married  James  Jackson,  of  Northville ; 
Ellen,  married  Thomas  Blanchard,  of  Kansas ; 
Caroline,  married  Wallace  Hathron  ;  and  Edgar, 
married  Martha  Bennet,  of  Northville. 

Thomas  Gransden,  from  England  to  Ulster  Co., 
New  York,  in  1834,  and  settled  on  S.  30,  T.  36,  R.  6, 
in  1837.  He  married  Eliza  Powell,  and  has  two 
sons,  Thomas,  and  Albert,  and  three  daughters, 
Anna,  Alice  and  Martha  ;  all  at  home,  except  Mar- 
tha, who  married  Edward  Armstrong,  of  Northville 

W.  L.  F.  Jones  was  born  in  Rutland  County,  Vt. , 
and  raised  in  Crawford  County,  Pa,  ;  with  his  wife, 
Betsy  Minor,  came  to  Milford,  now  Millington,  Ken- 
dall County,  in  1837  ;  is  now  living  on  S.  13,  T.  36, 
R.  5,  a  blacksmith,  and  farmer  ;  he  was  the  first 
Supervisor  from  the  town  of  Northville.  He  has 
live  children  :  Benton,  at  home  ;  Misner,  in  Kansas  ; 
Elma,  married  Ira  Armstrong,  and  live  in  Somo- 
nauk ;  Charles,  is  a  medical  student,  in  Chicago  ; 
Alfred  W.,  is  in  Sandwich. 

Hugh  Allen  came  to  Northville  in  1837  ;  moved  to 
Dayton  1845. 

Levi  Wright,  and  wife,  Esther  Whitmore,  came 


428  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

from  New  York  in  1839.     Has  been   Supervisor  one 
term. 

Handj^  Siiples,  from  German}^  with  Conrad  Smith; 
died  soon  after,  leaving  two  sons,  Hugh  and  Lewis. 
Lewis  settled  on  S.  8. 

Thomas  Lemar,  and  wife,  Mary  Hawes,  to  Ottawa 
1836,  and  to  Northville  1840.  Has  three  children  : 
Otis  K.,  Helen  A.,  and  Luther  J. 

Henry  Curtis,  and  wife,  Marj^  E.  MeNett,  from 
Connecticut,  in  1836. 

John  Wliitmore.  and  wife,  came  from  Ohio  in  1834, 
and  settled  on  Section  16  :  removed  to  Waukegan, 
and  died  in  1851.  Children :  Lorenzo,  killed  by 
lightning;  Alonzo,  married  Miss  Skinner,  died  in 
Kansas  :  John  and  Addison,  went  to  California,  and 
Lucien,  to  Sheridan  :  the  three  are  now  in  Leland. 

Samuel  Graff  came  from  Germany  in  1834  :  tailor 
by  trade  :  settled  on  Section  8  :  moved  to  Section  5  ; 
died  in  1 874. 

John  Sherman  came  from  Russia  in  1835.  and 
settled  on  Section  4  :  now  deceased. 

Henry  Sherman  came  from  Russia  in  1835,  and 
settled  on  Section  9  ;  still  living. 

Jeremiah  Hough  came  from  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  in 
1839.     Died  in  1845.     Had  five  sons. 

William  Powell  came  from  Boston  in  1838,  and 
bought  the  claim  of  David  Crawford.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Warner  ;  second  wife.  Miss  McNett. 

Samuel  Warner,  from  Boston  to  New  Orleans,  by 
boat  to  Peoria,  and  b}'  land  to  Somonauk  ;  pur- 
chased a  claim  of  Hugh  Allen  ;  put  in  crops,  went 
back  to  Boston,  and  brought  out  his  father  and 
family  in  August,  1838. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Earl,  429 

George  Warner,  and  wife,  Marj^  Salisbuiy,  came 
from  Boston  in  August,  1838,  and  bought  a  claim 
of  Foster.  He  died  in  1845,  aged  60  ;  his  widow- 
died  in  1871,  aged  88.  He  had  six  sons  and  one 
daugliter :  Samuel,  married  Mar}'  Ann  Powell, 
had  two  sons,  Alfred  and  George,  now  in  Ford 
County  ;  John  ;  Alfred,  married  Almira  Richard- 
son, of  Maine,  moved  to  Michigan,  and  has  eight 
children,  all  in  Michigan  :  Thomas,  lived  single,  and 
died  in  California  ;  Elizabeth,  married  Wm.  Powell ; 
Francis,  married  Julia  P.  Back,  and  has  four  child- 
ren— he  was  Sheriff  of  La  Salle  County  for  two 
terms,  from  1859  to  1861,  and  from  1863  to  1865— he 
is  now  Superintendent  of  Pinkerton's  detectives, 
and  lives  in  Chicago. 

Daniel  McNett,  and  wife.  Mar}'  Boomer,  came 
from  Xew  York  in  1838.  He  died  in  1876.  He  had 
fifteen  children :  Charles,  married  Lydia  Baker,  in 
Iowa  ;  Sophronia,  married  William  Powell  ;  Mary. 
died :  Michael,  married  Florence  Jackson,  of 
AVhiteside  Count}" ;  Martha,  married  George  Ed- 
wards, of  Mendota ;  Lucina,  married  Asher  Gib- 
son, of  Missouri ;  Eliza,  married  Albert  Powell  ; 
W^iljiam,  married  Lovina  Havenhill ;  Polly,  Eleanor, 
John,  Henry,  Clara.  Sherman,  and  Abbey,  are 
single. 


EARL. 

The  town  of  Earl  embraces  the  Congressional 
Township  36  North,  of  Range  3.  It  is  the  centre 
town  on  the  north  line  of  the  county.     Indian  creek 


430  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

enters  the  town  near  the  middle  on  the  north,  rans 
southwest  to  Section  19,  and  then  southeast,  having 
a  fine  growth  of  timber  along  most  of  its  course. 
It  was  settled  quite  sparsely  along  its  banks  com- 
mencing in  1834,  until,  in  1853,  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad  was  built  through  the  town, 
after  which  the  influx  of  population  was  rapid. 

Charles  H.  Sutphen  was  the  pioneer  settler  in  the 
town  of  Earl,  in  company  with  John  E,.  Dow. 
They  came  from  Boston,  made  claims  and  located 
at  the  head  of  the  grove  in  April,  1834.  They  found 
two  families  just  arrived  from  Indiana,  J.  Ross, 
and  a  Mr.  Johnson,  who  located  on  the  south  side 
of  the  grove  and  made  some  improvement  that  sum- 
mer. They  sold  their  claim  to  McClasky  &  Philips, 
and  left  in  1835. 

Mr.  Sutphen  brought  his  family  in  the  month  of 
October,  and  built  a  double  log  house  on  the  site  of  the 
village.  The  land  came  in  market  in  1839,  when  Mr. 
Sutphen  purchased  one  thousand  acres  where  Earl- 
ville  now  stands,  and  has  occupied  it  as  a  stock  farm 
for  about  twenty  years. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  Justices  for  Indian 
Precinct,  and  held  the  office  continuously  for  fifteen 
years,  being  the  oldest  Justice  in  the  county  when 
he  resigned. 

He  had  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters  ; 
Charles  T.  Sutphen  was  the  first  white  male  born  in 
the  township,  he  and  Greorge  are  in  California  ; 
Albert,  is  in  Aurora  ;  Ford,  in  Missouri  ;  Gilbert 
and  Weller,  in  Iowa;  Sarah,  married  S.  Cook, 
now  deceased;    Carrie  T.,  was  the  first  white  child 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Earl.  431 


born  in  the  town— married  William  H.  Graham,  of 
St.  Louis  ;  Mary,  married  O.  C.  Gray,  of  Ottawa, 
and  her  second  husband  was  Dr.  Canfield,  of  Ottawa 
— she  is  now  deceased. 

Mrs,  Sutphen,  Elizabeth  H.  Dow,  died  in  1870  ; 
Mr.  Sutphen  removed  to  Joliet  in  1871,  and  married 
the  widow  of  H.  D.  Higginbotham. 

John  R.  Dow  returned  to  Boston  in  the  fall  of 
1834,  and  his  two  brothers  occupied  his  claim.  He 
is  now  living  in  IS'ew  York. 

D.  A.  Ballard  came  from  Boston,  in  the  fall  of 
1834  ;  his  wife  was  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Sutphen  ;  he 
returned  to  Boston  in  1842.  Two  sons  remain— one 
died  at  Earl  two  years  since  ;  the  other  is  at  Aurora. 

Albert  Dow  came  from  Boston  in  1835.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Frances  Johnson,  of  Boston,  and  settled 
on  the  claim  left  by  John  R.  Dow ;  his  wife  died 
soon,  and  he  married  Martha  Miles,  and  had  one 
son  and  two  daughters  ;  he  is  now  living  in  Chicago. 
He  resided  in  Ottawa  several  years. 

Warren  Dow,  from  Boston,  came  in  1834.  He 
married  Miss  Alice  B.  Champney,  of  Boston  ;  has 
one  son  and  three  daughters  ;  he  now  lives  in  Wis- 
consin. He  resided  in  Ottawa  several  years,  and  in 
Marseilles. 

Amos  Foster,  from  Massachusetts,  came  in  1834  ; 
married  in  Ottawa  ;  removed  to  Wisconsin. 

Corrin  Doane,  from  Boston,  came  in  1834 ;  mar- 
ried Harriet  Johnson— his  second  wife  was  Hannah 
Stilson,  sister  to  S.  T.  Stilson.  He  died  in  May, 
1836.  He  had  two  sons  :  Hazen,  married  and  lives 
in  Earl ;   Samuel  J.,  died  in  the  army. 


432  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

JoliiiT.  Cook,  brother-in-law  to  Sutplien,  came  in 
1834  ;  went  to  Galena,  then  to  Chicago  in  the  lum- 
ber trade  ;  his  wife  died  in  Chicago  of  cholera. 

John  Thornton,  and  wife,  Hannah  Benedict,  from 

St.  Lawrence  County,    N.  Y.,  in  1835  ;  he  died  in 

1865.      He  had  three  daughters :   Lurania,  married 

Samuel  O.  Carter  ;  Roby,  married  Wm.  Imil ;  Sarah, 

married  O.  J.  Wilson. 

Samuel  O.  Carter,  from  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.Y., 
in  1835  ;  stopped  near  Chicago  three  months  in  De- 
cember ;  settled  on  S.  17.  Wife,  Lurania  Thornton  : 
has  three  sons :  Adolplms  married  widow  Doane  ; 
Heman  H.  married  Malvina  Philips  ;  Joel  at  home. 

Alonzo  Carter,  from  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1836  ;  now  a  Methodist  preacher  in  Ohio. 

Levi  Carter,  from  same  place  in  1836  ;  married 
widow  Jewett  ;  now  in  Sandoval,  Marion  County, 
Illinois. 

Ferdinand  Carter,  from  the  same  place  in  1836  ;  he 
died  1854.     His  widow,  Deborah  Breese,  died  1867. 

Benjamin  Carter,  from  same  place  in  1836;  went 
to  Green  County  1860  ;  now  there. 

Sylvester  Carter  came  in  1836  ;  he  died  of  cholera 
in  1849 ;  first  wife,  Miss  Christy  ;  second,  Mary 
Breese,  widow  ;  third,  Lucy  Pine.  Of  his  children, 
James  Carter  is  in  Livingston  County  ;  Joseph  is 
teaching  in  Normal ;  Lucien  in  Livingston  County. 

Urial  Carter,  married  Eli/a  Rogeison  ;  now  in  Ar- 
kansas ;  has  seven  or  eight  children  ;  left  herein  1855. 

Joel  Carter,  father  of  the  foregoing  seven  sons, 
came  from  the  bank  of  the  St.  liawience  river  in 
St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1836  ;  died  in  1853, 
aged  75. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Earl.  438 

Jolm  Currier  came  from  Vermont  to  Cincinnati, 
and  here  in  1838;  wife,  Eliza  Wallace  ;  ten  cliildren. 

Frank  Ransted,  from  Vermont  to  Cincinnati  and 
from  there  here  in  1836  ;  his  wife  died  18')5  ;  he  has 
several  children. 

Alexander  Brown,  from  Cheshire,  Mass.,  Jul}' 
1838  ;  a  bachelor  ;  died  1867. 

AndreAv  Brown  came  in  1838. 

Allen  Brown,  and  wife,  Miss  Best,  in  1838  ;  has  one 
«on  and  three  daughters. 

The  above  three  brothers  came  from  Berkshire 
County,  Mass. 

O.  J.  Wilson,  from  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
1835  ;  left  there  Nov.  16th,  when  17  j^ears  of  age, 
and  came  by  steamer  to  Hamilton  Ba}",  then  on  foot 
to  near  Chicago  in  company  with  Uri  Carter  ;  stopped 
with  Samuel  and  Levi  Carter  a  few  days,  then  went 
to  Indiana  and  spent  the  winter,  and  in  December, 
1836,  reached  Big  Indian  creek  in  LaSalle  County; 
bought  a  claim  on  S.  21,  which  came  in  market  in 
1839. 

Mr.  Wilson's  history  is  a  striking  example  of  the 
result  of  industry  and  econoni}-.  From  the  poor 
boy  trudging  on  foot  through  the  wear}^  distance  to 
reach  the  West,  he  has  become  the  possessor  of 
wealth,  being  a  large  land  owner,  farmer  and  banker. 
He  married  Sarah  Thornton ;  his  children  are, 
Thomas,  who  married  Mary  Wood,  lives  near;  Wil- 
liam, who  married  Nettie  Doane,  lives  in  Earlville, 
a  banker ;  Edwin,  in  California  ;  Abram,  married 
Frances  Pope,  lives  in  Earlville  ;  Richard,  Caroline,* 
John  T.,  Charlotte  Ann,  and  Osnian  John,  are  at 
home 


484  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Major  D.  Wallace,  from  Orange  County,  Yt.,  in 
1837  :  the  only  physician  here  for  ten  years  ;  left  two 
sons,  Charles  married  the  widow  Scott  at  Earl,  owns 
the  Wallace  House  ;  G-eorge  married  Miss  White. 

James  Wood,  from  New  York  in  1840;  he  died 
1853  ;  settled  on  S.  6  ;  four  children  :  Peter:  David: 
Lovina  married  James  Wallace  ;  Elisha. 

David  Smith,  from  South  Adams,  Mass.,  1840  ; 
died  1864. 

Daniel  Smith,  son  of  foregoing,  came  in  1838  ;  mar- 
ried Harriet  Burt. 

Miles  Rouse,  came  from  Xew  York,  in  1834  ;  died 
in  1860  ;  widow  still  living  here  ;  Ellen,  married  Mr. 
Lynn  :  Eliza,  married  ;  Martha,  married  Allen  Mc- 
Gregor. 

George  Rogerson  came  from  Brockville,  Canada, 
in  1838  ;  George  is  in  Ford  County  ;  Eliza,  married 
Trial  Carter,  in  Arkansas.     Mr.  R.  died  in  1840. 

Edward  Cook  came  in  1835  :  died  in  California,  20 
years  ago  :  left  a  widow  and  son.     All  have  left. 

Russel  Bliss,  came  from  Xorth  Adams  to  Ohio, 
and  from  there  here,  in  1837. 

James  M.  Philips,  came  from  Pennsylvania,  in 
1836  ;  he  had  a  difficulty  regarding  a  disputed  claim 
with  his  neighbor.  Moss,  and  unfortunately  killed 
him  ;  he  was  tried  for  murder  and  convicted  of  man- 
slaughter, but  was  discharged,  from  a  defect  in  the 
law.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  Philips  to  state,  that  his 
neighbors  all  agree  that  he  has  led  a  blameless  life 
since  ;  has  a  large  family  of  children  who  are  much 
respected.     He  sent  five  sons  to  the  war. 

Mr.  Moss,  who  was  killed  by  Philips,  was  from 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Serena.  435 


Vermont ;  he  was  making  a  farm  preparatory  to 
moving  his  family,  when  he  met  his  fate. 

Abram  Foster,  and  wife,  Millie  White,  came  from 
Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1836  ;  settled 
one  mile  north  of  Earlville,  on  the  creek  ;  he  died 
many  years  since,  leaving  seven  children :  Betsey, 
married  Conrad  Smith,  of  Northville  ;  Millie,  married 
Frederick  Smith,  of  Northville  ;  Elisha,  is  deceased  ; 
Alfred,  went  to  California  ;  William,  died  here,  his 
widow  is  still  living  ;  Willard,  went  West  ;  Abram 
settled  on  the  creek,  now  in  Colorado. 

Amzi  Foster,  grandson  of  Abram,  came  from 
Bradford  Co.,  Pennsylvania,  in  1837;  he  married 
Mary  J.  App  ;  has  three  children.  He  has  resided 
in  Ottawa  for  many  years. 

Samuel  T.  Stilson,  born  in  Connecticut,  came  from 
Chatauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  1839;  has  been  a  farmer, 
merchant,  gi*ain  dealer,  and  banker;  successful,  and 
now  retired.  His  first  wife  was  Ellen  Wood,  who 
died  in  1862  ;  his  second  wife  was  Sarah  Lukins. 
Has  had  five  children  ;  two  are  living. 


SERENA. 


The  town  of  Serena  embraces  Township  35, 
Range  4,  and  about  three  additional  sections  of 
T.  35,  R.  5,  which  lie  on  the  west  side  of  Fox  river. 
Indian  creek  runs  nearly  across  the  township  and  is 
intersected  by  its  principal  branch,  the  Little  Indian, 
on  Section  16.  There  was  much  good  timber  along 
those  streams,   and  consequently  settlements  com- 


436  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

menced  at  an  early  date.  Tbe  plentiful  supply  of 
timber,  with  rolling,  rich  prairie,  made  it  a  desira- 
ble location.  There  were  several  saw-mills  on  the 
creek  at  an  early  day.  and  two  or  three  flourino- 
mills  have  been  added  since. 

Settlements  commenced  in  1831,  and  settlers  came 
in  rapidly  after  the  close  of  the  Indian  troubles,  in 
1833.  Robert  Baresford  was  the  tirst,  in  1831.  and 
the  Warrens,  Alva  O.  Smith,  Daniel  Blake  and  others 
in  1833. 

The  Fox  River  Railroad  runs  through  the  east 
part  of  the  town,  with  a  depot  nearly  central,  which 
brings  a  market  to  the  doors  of  the  people  who  set- 
tled in  an  inland  town. 

Robert  Baresford,  a  native  of  Deny,  Ireland,  came 
to  America,  and  with  his  wife,  Mary  Desert,  and 
family,  came  fii-st  to  Peoria,  and,  with  Jesse  Walker, 
to  Ottawa  in  1825  ;  assisted  Walker  in  establishing 
his  mission  at  Mission  Point,  and  in  1829  settled  at 
Holderman's  Grove.  He  removed  to  Indian  Creek 
in  1831 :  he  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  creek,  and 
resided  in  that  locality  till  his  death  in  1851.  Mrs. 
Baresford  died  in  1843.  He  left  three  children : 
John,  married,  and  is  now  living  at  Fremont.  !Xe- 
braska :  Mary  Ann.  married  William  Cullen.  of 
Ottawa — Mr.  Cullen  has  been  Sheriff,  and  for  many 
j^ears  editor  of  the  Ottawa  Republican :  Lovina, 
married  Mr.  Wykoff ;  James,  was  killed  by  Indians 
while  scouting  in  1832. 

Daniel  Warren.  Jr..  came  from  Madison  County, 
N.  Y..  in  1830,  and  settled  on  Indian  Creek  in  1S32. 
His  wife  was  Lucy  Skeels,  from  Putnam  County. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Serena.  437 

He  died  in  April,  1867.  His  widow  married  Peter 
Dick,  and  lives  on  Section  17.  He  left  six  children  : 
Elizabeth,  married  Anthony  Hoar,  in  Missouri ; 
Ardilla,  married  Henry  Hoar,  deceased ;  Luther, 
married  Catliarine  Cristler,  at  Streator;  Huron,  is  in 
Nebraska ;  Ruden,  married  Charlotte  Wright,  of 
Serena;  Louis  S.,  married  Eliza  McClure,  of  Serena. 

Nathan  Warren  came  from  Madison  Count}^ 
N.  Y.,  in  1830,  and  settled  on  Section  8  ;  is  now  liv- 
ing on  Section  5.  His  tirst  wife  was  Lydia  Baxter  ; 
second  wife,  Maria  Lester.  He  has  seven  children  : 
William,  is  in  Serena;  Fannj^,  married  Mr.  "Wariner, 
of  Paw  Paw  ;  Lucien,  is  in  Amboj^.  Second  wife's 
children  are :  Mary,  married  Gfeorge  Bristol,  near 
Amboy,  now  deceased  ;  Emma  ;  Florence. 

Ezekiel  AVarren  married  Susan  Sargent  and  settled 
on  Section  17.  He  and  Daniel  Warren  built  a  saw- 
mill on  Section  8,  and  moved  to  Morris,  and  died 
there  in  1847. 

Samuel  Warren,  from  Madison  County,  N.  Y., 
came  on  the  creek  with  his  brothers  ;  died  single. 

The  four  Warren  brothers  were  children  of  Daniel 
Warren,  and  came  with  their  father  from  Madison 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1830,  by  wagon  to  Bailey's  Point, 
now  Vermillion.  The  father  died  near  Ottawa  in 
1832.  His  widow  married  the  father  of  Horace  and 
George  Sprague  ;  she  died  in  1836. 

John  Hupp,  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  came 
thi'ough  by  wagon,  and  settled  on  Section  23  ;  went 
to  California  in  1850.  His  children  are  :  Sedgwick, 
living  in  Serena ;  Wilson,  was  drowned  in  Colum- 
bia river  ;  Havilah,  resides  in  Serena  ;  Jane,  married 


438  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


James  Moore  ;  Cemantha,  married  Ira  Baj'le}^  of 
Grundy  County:  Stephen,  in  Iowa;  George,  at 
Northville;  Riley,  in  Serena;  Louisa,  married 
Josepli  McKim. 

Kinne  Newcomb  came  from  Plattsburg,  K".  Y.,  in 
1833  ;    married  Jerusha  Lyman.  He  died  in  1840. 

Hiram  Brown,  and  wife,  Olive  Niles,  came  from 
Sliaftsbury,  Yt.,  in  1833  ;  now  in  Kane  County. 

AlvaO.  Smitli,  from  North  Haven,  Ct.,  in  1833: 
arrived  in  Ottawa  in  1834.  He  married  Olive  War- 
ren and  settled  on  Section  18,  T.  35,  R.  4,  in  Dec, 
1835.  In  company  with  James  Day,  bought  the 
saw-mill  of  Ezekiel  Warren.  Mr.  Smith  died  in 
1870,  leaving  eight  children  :  James,  married  Mar- 
garet Barker  ;  Levi  C.  :  Lois  L.,  married  William 
M.  Curyea,  of  Ottawa ;  Mary,  married  Isaac  Pool, 
of  Serena;  Sarah  E.,  married  William  T.  Jones,  of 
Serena  ;  Alva  O.  ;  Olive,  married  Geo.  W.  Curyea. 
of  Dayton  ;  Sidne}^  at  home  ;  Eunice  O. 

John  Hoxie,  from  Williamstown,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.,  came  in  1836,  and  settled  on  Sec.  25,  where  he 
still  resides.  He  married  Elizabeth  Beem.  His 
children  are:  Henrietta,  Fremont,  Lincoln,  and 
Fanny.  Henry  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Mission 
Ridge. 

Daniel  Blake,  born  in  Maine,  removed  to  Ohio, 
and  from  there  here  in  1833  ;  lived  a  short  time  under 
the  hospitable  roof  of  Robert  Baresford,  and  settled 
on  Section  34 ;  removed  to  Ottawa  in  1868  ;  served 
as  Sheriff  from  1871  to  1873.  His  children  are  : 
Joshua  M.,  in  Livingston  County  :  James  A.,  on  the 
old  farm ;    George,    a  lawyer,    in  Ottawa  ;     Mary 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Serena.  439 

J.,  married  Havilali  Hui:)p,  in  Serena  ;  Hattie  M.,  is 
the  wife  of  Irvin  Mies,  of  Livingston  County,  and 
Susie  A.,  is  at  home. 

Ezra  Dominy  was  born  at  East  Hampton,  L.  I., 
1876 — with  his  wife,  Rhoda  Smitli,  and  family,  came 
from  Plattsburg,  Xew  York,  in  1835,  with  a  wagon, 
by  the  Lake  shore,  to  Illinois,  being  six  weeks  on 
the  road  ;  settled  on  S.  28.  The  Dominy  family, 
descendants  of  Ezra,  with  their  wives  and  husbands, 
held  a  reunion  in  September,  1873  ;  there  were  100 
present,  including  children,  grand  children,  and 
great  grand  children.  His  children  are  :  Rebecca, 
who  married  Robert  Greenless,  of  Dayton ;  Na- 
thaniel, married  Philinda  Finch,  in  Grand  Ridge  ; 
John,  in  Iowa  ;  Belinda,  married  Martin  Lewis,  now 
dead  ;  Sally,  died  single  ;  Lorenzo,  in  Serena  ;  Ezra 
A.,  married  Ann  Eliza  Pool,  in  Serena  ;  Gilbert, 
married  Mary  E.  Pool  ;  Betsey,  married  Jacob 
Peterson,  in  Serena ;  Anna,  married  Matthias  Pool,  in 
Serena.  Mr.  Dominy  is  living  with  the  last  named, 
at  the  ripe  age  of  91.  Mrs.  Dominy  died  in  1873, 
aged  87. 

Amos  St.  Clair,  from  Kentucky  to  Jacksonville, 
in  1830,  and  here  1835 ;  he  settled  on  S.  32  ;  he  died 
1839,  aged  49 — his  widow,  Elizabeth  Watkins,  died 
in  1868. 

Watson  St.  Clair,  son  of  Amos,  came  at  the  same 
time  and  settled  on  Section  32,  is  now  on  Section  36. 
His  wife  was  Laura  J.  Beckwith.  His  children  are  : 
Martha  E.,  and  Laura  E.,  both  at  home. 

William  St.  Clair,  also  son  of  Amos,  came  at  the 
same  time  and  is  livins;  on  the  old  farm  on  Sec.  32. 


440  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


His    wife   was    Susan   Miller.      His   cliildren   are  : 
Eugene  and  Lucretia,  at  home. 

St.  Clair  sisters,  daughters  of  Amos,  were  :  Mary- 
Ann,  who  married  H.  P.  Harvey, of  Freedom;  Rachel, 
married  Urial  Miller,  of  Freedom  ;  Eliza  Jane,  mar- 
ried Samuel  B.  Flint,  of  California  ;  Sarah  E., 
married  L.  Clifford,  of  Serena. 

John  St.  Clair,  also  son  of  Amos,  came  from  the 
same  place  and  settled  on  Section  32  in  1834. 

Rev.  John  St.  Clair,  brother  of  Amos,  came  from 
Kentucky  in  1834 ;  a  Methodist  preacher  and  Pre- 
siding Elder  ;  he  was  prominent  in  his  denomina- 
tion, an  able,  enterprising  and  useful  man.  He  died 
in  Evanston  in  1861.     Settled  in  Rutland. 

William  Beardsley,  from  Williamstown,  Mass., 
came  in  1837.  and  settled  on  Sec.  27  ;  Julia,  died 
in  the  fall  of  1838  :  Lyman,  insane  ;  Harriet,  married 
Dyson  Miller. 

Henry  Beardsley,  half-brother  of  William,  from 
Williamstown,  Mass.,  came  in  the  fall  of  1837.  His 
children  are  :  Lovina  Blake,  now  in  Adams  ;  one 
son,  William,  in  Mendota ;  Chester,  married  Miss 
Wheeler. 

Nathaniel  Perley,  and  wife,  Eliza  Stevens,  from 
Massachusetts  to  Ottawa,  and  from  there  to  the 
creek  in  1839.  Mrs.  Perley  met  her  death  by  her 
clothes  taking  fire.     Mr.  Perley  has  gone  West. 

William  Haskell,  and  wife,  Martha  Batcheller,  first 
came  to  Ottawa  in  1837,  and  to  the  creek  in  1839. 
Perley  &  Haskell  built  Curyea's  mill  and  distillery 
in  1839.     He  died  recently  in  Streator. 

John  R.  Hobbs,   came  from  New  York,  in  1835  ; 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Eagle.  441 

settled  on  S.  26.  Daruria,  died  ;  Alfred,  married, 
and  lives  in  Serena. 

Pliineas  Perley,  came  from  Massachusetts,  in  1833  ; 
married  Wm.  Beardsly's  widow  :  one  daughter, 
Almira.     He  died  about  1857. 

Joseph  T.  Roy,  bachelor  ;  run  a  mill  on  the  creek. 
Died  in  1871. 

Aaron  Grinnell,  bachelor,  came  from  New  York, 
in  1837,  in  the  poor  house,  familiarly  called  "Old 
Chub." 

Martin  Lewis,  came  from  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  in 
1834  ;  settled  on  S.  28,  and  died  in  1837. 


EAGLE. 


Eagle  embraces  that  portion  of  T.  31,  R.  3,  that 
lies  south  of  the  Vermillion  river,  and  the  east  one- 
third  of  T.  31,  R,.  2.  That  portion  lying  along  the 
Vermillion  was  settled  at  an  early  day. 

John  Coleman,  came  from  Richland  Co.,  Ohio,  in 
the  fall  of  1831  ;  he  settled  on  S.  22,  lived  there  till 
1847,  and  went  to  Missouri  for  two  years,  and  then 
returned  to  the  old  farm  ;  he  is  now  living  in  Strea- 
tor.  His  wives  were  :  1st,  Anna  Cramer  ;  2d,  Rox- 
ena  Cowgill  ;  3d,  Hester  Kelley  ;  4th,  Lutitia  Grif- 
fith. All  dead.  Of  his  children  :  Julia  Ann,  mar- 
ried Mr.  Ploger,  of  Ottawa  ;  Hester  Ann,  married 
Josiah  Roberts,  of  Streator  ;  James,  William,  Lilla, 
are  single. 

Henry  Cramer,  came  from  Richland  Co.,  Ohio,  in 
1831  ;  he  died  in  1832.     His  daughters  married  John 

29 


442  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Coleman,  James  McKernaii,  Geo.  McKee,  and  Dan- 
iel Barrackman. 

John  Holderman,  and  wife,  Hannah  Young, 
came  from  Richland  Co.,  Ohio,  in  the  spring  of 
1831 ;  the  lirst  settler  in  the  town  ;  he  settled  on  S. 
27.  He  died  about  1842.  He  had  five  children  : 
Jacob,  married  Rachel  Gannet,  of  Streator  ;  Allen,  is 
now  living  in  Streator  ;  Sarah,  married  Elisha  Nar- 
amoor ;  Martha,  married  Barney  O'Neill;  Eliza, 
married  George  Tillsbury. 

John  Wood  came  from  Richland  Co.,  Ohio,  in 
June,  1833  ;  settled  on  S.  22  ;  he  died  in  1840.  His 
widow  married  George  Basore.  His  son  Peter,  only 
remains. 

Dan'l  Barrackman,  came  from  Licking  Co.,  Ohio, 
in  1831  ;  his  wife  was  Rachel  Cramer.  He  had 
three  sons  :  Charles  and  Daniel  are  on  the  old  farm  ; 
Benjamin,  went  to  Iowa. 

David  Reader,  and  wife,  Sarah  Whitaker,  from 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  to  Tazewell  County,  1829, 
and  settled  on  S.  16,  T.  31,  R.  3,  in  the  spring  of 
1835  ;  a  good  farmer,  and  useful  citizen.  He  held 
the  ofSce  of  County  Commissioner ;  he  died  April, 
1853,  leaving  five  children  :  James  Newton,  married 
in  Tazewell  County,  settled  near  his  father  in  1836, 
moved  to  Troy  Grove  in  1837,  is  now  living  in  Liv- 
ingston County  ;  Mitchell,  married  Malvina  Gum, 
is  in  Kansas  ;  Joseph,  married  Miss  Johnson,  in 
Livingston  County  ;  Rebecca,  married  Rees  Morgan  ; 
Jacob,  married  Elizabeth  Jane  Lord,  and  lives 
adjoining  the  old  homestead. 

Jacob  Goff,  and  wife,  from  Pennsylvania  to  Taze- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Eagle.  443 


well  County,  in  fall  of  1835,  and  soon  after  settled 
on  S.  17.  Mr.  Goff  died  in  1840.  His  children, 
Alif,  Samuel,  Janet,  and  William,  all  moved  to 
Kansas  about  1856. 

Thomas,  John,  Elza,  and  James  Downey,  four 
brothers  from  Painesville,  Ohio,  in  1834  ;  settled  on 
Sees.  15  and  16  ;  Thomas  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace ;  he  died  about  1850.  John  and  Elza  re- 
moved to  Magnolia,  Putnam  County  ;  James  left, 
after  a  short  residence  here. 

George  Tillsburv,  from  Pennsylvania  in  1839  ; 
married  Eliza  Holderman  ;  taught  school  a  few 
months,  and  left  the  county  and  his  family,  soon 
after. 

Daniel  McCain,  from  Michigan,  married  Sarah 
Shay ;  died  1840 ;  the  widow  married  William 
Perygo ;  after  his  death  she  went  to  Michigan. 
Stephen  Shay  died  in  Michigan. 

Charles  Clifford,  from  Ireland  to  Michigan,  in 
1834,  and  settled  on  S.  13,  T.  31,  R.  2,  in  1837 ;  now 
living  in  Ottawa.     Has  children. 

Samuel  Galloway,  and  wife,  Catharine  McClure, 
of  Scotch  descent,  from  near  Londonderry,  in  the 
north  of  Ireland  ;  emigrated  to  America,  and  set- 
tled in  Lexington,  Green  County,  New  York,  about 
1806— his  wife  died  in  1815  ;  his  second  wife  was 
Lydia  Moore,  who  died  1833.  He  removed  to 
La  Salle  County,  Illinois,  June,  1837,  with  all  his 
children ;  he  first  located  near  where  Tonica  now  is, 
and  in  1840  moved  on  to  S.  6,  T.  31,  R.  3 — known 
as  the  Galloway  farm,  and  the  location  of  the  Gal- 
loway  postoffice.     He     died    July   24,    1840.     His 


444  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

children  by  his  first  wife  were  :  Catharine,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  T.  Bullock,  and  lives  near  Tonica ; 
Samnel  C  died  single,  Angnst  24,  1840  ;  Francis, 
married  Elizabeth  J.  A.  Galloway,  and  settled  on 
S.  1,  T.  31,  R.  2— he  died  July  24,  1869  ;  Mary, 
married  John  Briley,  and  lived  on  S.  1,  T,  31,  R. 
2.  She  died  Dec.  25,  1876.  The  children  of  the 
second  wife  are:  Elijah  M.,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Halcott,  daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Halcott,  from 
Green  County,  New  York.  Elijah  was  Postmaster 
and  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  years  ;  he  now 
lives  near  Monroe  City,  Missouri ;  Lydia  M.,  mar- 
ried Henry  Slater ;  her  second  husband  was  W. 
Holl}^,  who  died  in  California.  She  is  now  living 
with  her  third  husband.   Jefferson  Smith,   in  Mich. 

Jacob  Dice,  from  New  York,  about  1837 :  settled 
on  S.  6;  he  sold  to  Hoffman.  He  married  the  widow 
Hays,  and  soon  returned  to  New  York. 

Stephen  Faro,  and  wife,  Sally  Dakin,  from  Scho- 
harie County,  N.  Y.,  came  in  1837  or  8  ;  a  cooper 
and  farmer  ;  he  settled  on  S.  5,  and  died  about  1841. 
His  widow  married  Ard  Button. 

Isaac  Thorp,  and  wife,  Lj^dia  Dakin,  came  from 
New  York,  with  Faro  ;  the  two  married  sisters  ;  set- 
tled in  1838  on  S.  7,  near  the  A^ermillion  timber. 
They  both,  with  three  children,  died  of  milk  sick- 
ness ;  one  child  survived,  and  was  sent  to  its  friends 
at  the  East. 

Campbell  settled  on  S.  31  in  1835  ;  he  sold  to 
Myers,  and  left. 

Hiram  Divine,  and  wife,  Betsey  Torrey,  came  from 
Green  County,  Pa.,  in  1839:  settled  in  the  town  of 


I 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Brookjield.  445 

Eagle,  on  Section  12  ;  was  a  farmer  and  nursery- 
man ;  lie  died  in  1871;  his  wife  died  in  1847.  Emma, 
lives  in  Champaign  County  ;  Luther,  is  in  Iowa  ; 
Charlotte,  is  Mrs.  E.  B.  Darling,  of  Streator  ;  Mary, 
is  insane  ;  Alvin,  Celia  and  Elma,  are  the  remaining 
children.  Second  wife's  children,  Clemens  and 
Lucien. 

Chester  Naramoor,  from  Goshen,  Yt.,  and  wife, 
Louisa  Dickinson,  from  Goshen,  Ct.,  came  from  New 
York  to  Michigan  in  18B2  and  to  LaSalle  County  in 
1839,  stopping  at  Bailey's  Grove,  where  Mrs.  Nara- 
moor  died  ;  Mr.  Naramoor  died  in  1847.  They  had 
one  son  and  four  daughters,  three  of  the  daughters 
died.  Louisa  T.  married  Abram  Groom  ;  Elisha 
married  Sarah  B.  Holderman  and  settled  on  S.  15, 
T.  31,  R.  8,  where  he  still  resides. 

Jacob  Moon,  and  wife,  Leah  Reese,  came  from 
Ohio,  first  to  Bailey's  Point,  and  in  1883  settled  at 
Moon's  Point,  on  the  edge  of  Livingston  County, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Of  his 
children,  Albert  married  Elizabeth  Boyle  of  Ox  Bow 
Prairie ;  Jane  married  Solomon  Brock ;  Thomas 
married  Mary  Barrackman  ;  Rees  married  Miss 
Baker ;  Ellen  married  James  Barrackman,  both 
are  dead. 


BROOKFIELD. 

Brookfield  embraces  T.  32,  R.  5,  and  that  part  of 
T.  33,  R.  5,  which  lies  south  of  the  Illinois  river. 
The   first  township  is   nearly  all  prairie,  while  the 


446  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

fraction  is  all  timber  or  bottom  land.  The  tirst  set- 
tlement commenced  in  1833  and  was  confined  to  the 
skirts  of  the  timber  adjoining  the  prairie,  or  to  the 
bottom  along  the  Illinois,  while  the  settlements  have 
gradually  extended  south  over  the  prairie  region 
during  the  forty  years  that  have  intervened. 

It  is  all  now  occupied  by  a  thrifty  and  prosper- 
ous people,  although  an  old  pioneer  will  recognize 
in  the  southern  part  the  prairie  grass  and  wild  flow- 
ers of  the  early  day,  reminders  of  the  olden  time; 
and  that  the  civilized  occupancy  is  comparatively 
recent. 

G-eo.  W.  Armstrong,  the  first  settler  in  Brookfield, 
came  from  Licking  County,  Ohio,  with  his  mother, 
Mrs.  Elsa  Strawn  Armstrong,  in  1831 ;  he  made  a 
claim  on  S.  28,  T.  33,  R.  3  ;  but  John  Hogaboom 
jumped  it  and  finally  bought  it  for  $28.  Armstrong 
made  a  claim  on  S.  1,  T.  32,  R.  5,  and  moved  on  it 
in  the  fall  of  1833  ;  was  encamped  there  when  the 
stars  fell,  Nov.  13th,  of  that  year  ;  made  a  farm 
and  has  resided  there  since,  except  when  a  con- 
tractor on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Mr.  Arm- 
strong has  been  prominent  as  a  politician  ;  has  been 
Town  Supervisor,  and  Chairman  of  the  Board 
several  years,  and  has  served  five  terms  and  still  is 
a  member  of  the  Legislature.  He  married  Anna 
Green,  of  Jacksonville,  111.,  and  has  nine  children: 
John  G.,  married  Nellie  McCann,  lives  in  Ottawa : 
William,  is  in  Colorado  ;  Julius  C,  married  Hattie 
Goodrich,  and  is  a  Congregational  minister  in  Cook 
County  ;  Eliza  M.,  married  William  Crotty,  now  of 
Kansas ;  Joseph,  at  home  ;  Marshall,  is  in  Chicago 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  BrooTcfield.  447 


University  ;  Susan,  married  Robert  Langhlin,  and 
lives  on  the  line  of  Grundy  County  ;  James  E.,  at 
Champaign  at  school ;  Charles  Gr.,  at  home. 

Jolm  Drain  came  from  Licking  ('ounty,  Ohio,  in 
1833.     He  died  at  Abraham  Trumbo's  in  1835. 

Dr.  Frederick  Gmham,  from  Westchester  County, 
N.  Y.,  first  to  Ottawa,  and  then  settled  on  Section 
8,  in  1836  ;  a  practicing  physician  for  many  years. 
He  and  his  wife  are  both  dead. 

Levi  Jennings,  and  wife,  from  Fairfield  County, 
Ct.,  to  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  and  from  there  to 
Illinois,  with  a  large  family,  in  1834  ;  he  made  a 
farm  on  the  Illinois  bottom,  on  Sec.  19,  just  east 
of  James  Galloway.  His  wife  died.  He  spent  the 
last  few  years  of  his  life  with  Ids  son-in-law,  G.  W. 
Jackson,  in  Ottawa. 

Levi  Jennings,  Jr.,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  when 
17  years  old,  went  to  Beaver  County,  Pa.,  and  while 
there  his  father  moved  to  Illinois.  He  married 
Emily  Allis,  and  moved  to  Illinois  in  1835,  and 
first  settled  near  his  father,  then  on  S.  8,  T.  32,  R.  5. 
He  died  in  1852,  aged  60.  His  widow  survives, 
aged  69.  His  children  are :  Matthew,  married  Clara 
Ferguson,  lives  in  Brookfield  ;  Mary,  married  Rich- 
ard Gage,  of  the  same  place  ;  Henry,  the  first  child 
born  in  Brookfield,  lives  in  Allen ;  Frederick,  mar- 
ried Lucy  Bishop,  lives  in  Allen  ;  Lucy  Ann,  is 
in  Marseilles ;  Catharine  Louisa,  married  Reuben 
Smallen,  of  Allen  ;  Julia,  married  John  J.  Ford,  of 
Brookfield  ;  Emil}'^  Jane,  married  Geo.  S.  Beach,  a 
Congregational  minister,  in  Ohio. 

David  Jennings,  brother  of  Levi,  Jr. ,  died  single. 


448  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Stephen  Jennings,  brother  of  Levi,  Jr.,  married 
Mary  Elizabeth  Holden,  and  lives  in  Ottawa. 

Ebenezer  Jennings,  youngest  son  and  half  brother 
of  the  foregoing,  died  in  California. 

Daughters  of  Levi  Jennings,  by  his  first  wife : 
Hannah,  married  G.  W.  Jackson,  of  Ottawa;  Mary, 
married  George  Mac}^,  of  Ottawa  ;  another  daughter 
married  a  Mr.  Goodell ;  and  one  married  Eldridge 
G.  Clark. 

Daughters  of  Levi  Jennings,  by  his  second  wife : 
Julia,  married  Daniel  Ward;  Aphelia,  married 
Gershom  Burr ;  another  daughter  married  a  Mr. 
Goodell. 

Eldridge  Gerry  Clark  came  with  the  Jennings 
family  from  N.  Y.  ;  died  here  soon  after. 

William  H.  Goddard  came  from  Boston  in  1836  ; 
disgusted  with  farming  after  four  years"  trial,  went 
to  Louisville.  Ky.,  and  pursued  his  profession  of  a 
dentist.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of  the  somewhat  noted 
writer,  James  Ross  Brown. 

Richard  Edgecomb.  from  New  Providence,  West 
Indies,  came  in  1835  ;  moved  to  Ottawa. 

Rev.  George  Marsh  was  born  in  Norfolk  County, 
Massachusetts  ;  when  five  years  old  removed  to  Sut- 
ton, Worcester  County  ;  when  twenty  years  of  age, 
removed  to  State  of  New  York  ;  lived  there  until 
thirty-eight  years  of  age— the  last  ten  years  in  the 
city.  Came  to  Illinois  with  his  wife  in  1835,  bought 
a  part  of  Section  4,  and  subsequently  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 16,  where  he  now  lives,  at  the  age  of  81.  He 
officiated  as  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  for  a  third  of 
a  century,  and   although   his  field  of  labor  was  a 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Brookfield.  449 

liiimble  one  in  tlie  sparsely  settled  outskirts  of  the 
county,  lie  led  a  pure  life,  and  his  intluence  will  be 
felt  long  after  he  shall  have  passed  away.  He  has 
a  family  of  three  children  ;  the  oldest,  George  G-.,  is 
a  Government  clerk  at  Washington  ;  John  James, 
and  Mary  E.  A.,  are  at  home. 

George  S.  Maxon  came  from  New  York  in  1837, 
and  settled  on  Sec.  2,  T.  32,  R.  5 ;  a  substantial 
farmer  and  worthy  man.  Sibel,  his  wife,  died  in 
1861,  aged  63  years,  and  he  died  in  1867,  aged  73. 
The  history  of  his  family  is  peculiar  and  sad.  His 
son,  George  S.,  Jr.,  died  at  the  age  of  39  ;  his  wife 
died  before  him,  and  two  of  his  children  are  de- 
ceased and  two  are  living ;  Paul,  another  son,  died 
at  the  age  of  2Q,  he  was  injured  while  raising  a 
building,  and  died  a  year  or  two  after  from  the 
effect  of  the  injur}^  ;  Lewis,  another  son,  while 
chopping  in  the  timber  cut  his  foot  with  an  axe  and 
died  in  a  few  hours  from  loss  of  blood.  His  daugh- 
ter, Julia,  married  a  Methodist  preacher,  was  di- 
vorced, came  home  and  died.  Another  daughter, 
Roxy,  married  an  Englishman,  who  started  for 
England  and  was  never  heard  from  after.  David, 
the  only  remaining  child,  lives  adjoining  the  old 
farm . 

Asa  Lewis,  from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  came  in  1837,  re- 
mained four  or  five  years,  and  went  to  Wisconsin. 
His  son,  Cyrus  B.,  married  Mar}^  C,  daughter  of 
Christopher  Champlin,  and  lives  at  Marseilles. 

Isaac  Gage,  from  New  Hampshire,  came  in  1837, 
and  settled  on  Section  8.  He  married  Lucy  Little, 
daughter  of  James  Little,  of  Eden.     Mr.  Gage  is  a 


450  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


wealthy  farmer.  He  has  four  children  :  Louisa, 
married  S.  T.  Osgood,  and  lives  at  Marseilles  ; 
Harriet  E.,  Ida  A.,  and  Benjamin  Frank,  are  at 
home. 

Gershom  Burr,  from  Fall  River,  Mass.,  and  wife, 
Mary  E.  ]S"orris,  from  Bristol,  R.  I.,  came  in  1836. 
Married  Ophelia  Jennings— his  second  wife — and 
settled  on  Section  20,  afterwards  called  Burr' s  Grove. 
He  removed  to  Ottawa,  in  1844,  and  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising until  his  death.  His  children  are  :  Sel- 
lick,  married  Miss  Newton,  and  lives  in  Ohio  ;  Ger- 
shom, lives  in  Ottawa,  unmarried  ;  Mary,  is  in 
Rhode  Island  ;  Ophelia,  married  Dr.  Farley  ;  Charles, 
married,  and  lives  in  Michigan. 

Reese  Ridgeway,  from  Licking  County,  Ky.,  in 
1834,  and  settled  on  S.  4,  T.  33,  R.  5. 

Stephen  G.  Hicks  settled  on   S.  30,    T.  33,  R.  5, 
opposite  Marseilles. 

A  Mr.  Stevens  bought  the  place  of  David  Jen- 
nings, sold  to  Levi  in  1834,  and  was  supposed  to 
have  been  killed  in  Chicago  in  1835,  for  his  money. 

Peter  Consols  and  John  Wilcox  settled  on  S.  30, 
T.  33,  R.  5,  in  1834. 

Guy  Dudley  settled  on  Section  25,  in  1833. 

Capt.  Tylee  settled  here  in  1838  ;  is  now  living  in 
Vermillion.  One  daughter  married  William  Seeley, 
and  another  married  Samuel  Seeley. 

Oliver  H.  Sigler  settled  in  the  town  about  1840 — 
has  several  children. 

Silas  Austin  came  in  1836. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Or  and  Rapids.         451 


GRAND  RAPIDS. 

Grand  Rapids  and  Fall  River,  till  1863,  were  one 
town,  named  Grand  Rapids,  from  tlie  Grand  Rap- 
ids of  tlie  Illinois,  which  washed  its  northern  bor- 
der. It  now  embraces  the  Township  32  N.,  R.  4. 
There  is  a  grove  of  timber  along  the  creek  on  Sees.  6 
and  7,  called  Ebersol'  s  Grove  ;  the  remainder  of  the 
town  is  prairie.  Covell  creek  rises  near  the  south- 
east corner,  and,  running  northwest,  passes  out  on 
S.  6.  The  high  land  or  divides  on  the  east  and  west 
sides  of  the  town  are  quite  elevated,  and  have  con- 
siderable descent  to  the  creek  and  its  branches,  in 
the  centre  of  the  town,  giving  good  drainage,  a  di- 
versified surface,  and  a  more  than  ordinarily  pictur- 
esque view  to  a  prairie  landscape. 

The  early  settlements  were  nearly  all  on  the  only 
grove  in  the  town,  on  Sees.  6  and  7. 

Henry  Hibbard  came  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in 
1827,  and  made  a  claim  on  S.  5,  in  1829,  on  what  has 
been  called  the  Ebersol  farm.  John  McKernan 
bought  the  claim  of  Disney,  in  1831,  who  must 
have  purchased  of  Hibbard.  McKernan  settled 
there  in  1831,  and  sold  to  Ebersol  in  1834. 

Joseph  Ebersol,  with  Elizabeth  Sliuey,  his  wife, 
and  family,  came  from  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  in 
August,  1834,  purchased  of  Mrs.  McKernan,  her  claim 
on  S.  5,  and  made  that  his  home,  till  he  died  in  1873. 
His  wife  died  in  1870.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  though  a  farmer  most  of  his  life  ;  he  brought 
his  anvil  and  other  tools  to  Illinois.  Improvement 
was  made  on  his  farm  in  1828  ;  orchard  set  in  1830. 


452  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


He  left  seven  children  :  A.  M.,  (see  Fall  River);  Dan- 
iel, (see  Ottawa)  ;  Albert,  in  Grand  Rapids  ;  Catha- 
rine, married  Michael  Budd  ;  Louisa,  married  Geo. 
H.  Rugg,  now  of  Ottawa  ;  Helen,  married  Edward 
Reed,  of  Grand  Rapids  ;  Samuel  was  thrown  from 
a  horse,  and  killed,  when  33  years  old. 

Eleazar  Hibbard,  came  from  Cincinnati,  married 
a  sister  of  Darius  Reed,  and  settled  on  S.  6.  He 
separated  from  his  wife,  and  either  abandoned  or 
sold  his  claim  and  went  to  Putnam  County. 

Benjamin  B.  Reynolds,  and  wife,  Elma  Scofield, 
from  Mifflin  County,  Penn.,  in  1835  ;  settled  on  S.  6. 
His  father,  Judge  David  Reynolds,  came  with  him 
and  assisted  in  opening  his  farm,  and  then  returned 
to  Pennsylvania.  He  still  occupies  his  old  farm  on 
Sees.  5  and  6,  part  being  the  claim  of  Hibbard.  His 
children  are,  Marj^  A.,  David,  Pascalena,  Eleanora, 
John  P.,  Sarah  E.,  James  C,  Benjamin  B.,  Jr.,  and 
Washington. 

Luke  Rugg,  with  his  wife,  Salome  Patch,  and  fam- 
ily, from  Lancaster,  Worcester  County,  Mass.,  set- 
tled on  S.  23,  in  1839.  He  was  one  of  the  Worcester 
colony,  started  by  Geo.  W.  Lee,  John  D.  Thurston, 
Pyam  Jacobs,  and  others.  Mr.  Rugg,  at  the  time  of 
settlement,  was  four  miles  from  timber  and  three 
miles  from  neighbors,  and  after  a  residence  of  ten 
years  neither  timber  nor  neighbors  had  approached 
any  nearer,  except  a  grove  of  locust  about  his  place, 
known  over  the  county  as  Rugg' s  Grove. 

Sick  of  seclusion  from  society  and  despairing  of 
the  settlement  of  that  region,  Mr.  Rugg  moved  to 
Ottawa  in   1849,  where  he  died.     His  children  are  : 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Grand  Bap  Ids.  453 


Lewis,  who  came  with  his  father's  family  in  1839  ; 
married  Sophia  Dimmick  ;  lived  a  few  years  in  Ot- 
tawa, and  is  now  in  Pontiac.  George  H.,  lived  with 
his  father,  till  he  moved  to  Ottawa,  in  1849.  He  in- 
vented and  manufactured  Rugg's  Harvester,  for  sev- 
eral years  a  popular  and  successful  machine.  He  is 
now  manufacturing  furniture  in  Ottawa.  Charles 
went  to  Iowa. 

John  Anderson,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  from 
Clinton  County,  N.  Y.,  here  in  1837;  settled,  with 
a  family,  on  S.  6.  In  1849  he  mysteriously  disap- 
peared, and  was  never  heard  from  afterward. 

The  prairie   region  of  Grand  Rapids,  after  1850, 
rapidly  settled,  and  the  region  so  long  occupied  by 
Mr.  Rugg,  and  him  alone,  was,  soon  after  he  left  it, 
teeming  with  an  active  and  well-to-do  population. 
It  is  related  that  the  settlement  of  that  town  com- 
menced at  the  north  end  and  progressed  south.     The 
town  was  soon  made  a  school  district,  and  a  school- 
house  built  in  the  northwest  corner.     Soon  after,  that 
district  was  limited  to  four  sections,  named  No.   1, 
and  the  remainder  made  district  No.  2,  and  a  good 
house  built ;  that  district  was  then  limited  to  four 
sections  in  the  northeast  corner,  and  the  balance  of 
the  town  made  district  No.  3,  which  at  once  voted  a 
tax  to  build  a  school-house.     This  process  was  con- 
tinued till  the   last  four  sections   in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  town,    having  helped   build   all   the 
school-houses    in    the    other    eight    districts,    had 
to   build    their    own  without    outside    help.      The 
houses  were  all  very  fine  ones.     They  were  built  by 
a  tax  on  the  real  estate  in  the  district,  and  by  a  vote 


454  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

of  the  people  who  lived  in  all  those  instances  mostlj 
in  the  four  sections,  which  in  the  end  composed  the 
district,  and  as  the  remainder  of  the  territory  taxed 
was  nearly  all  owned  by  speculators,  with  no  one 
residing  on  it,  the  voters  were  very  generous  in  vot- 
ing a  tax,  or  as  some  called  it,  "salting  the  specu 
lators. ' ' 

One  of  those  speculators  who  owned  three  sec- 
tions in  the  last  district,  complained  of  being  legally 
fleeced.  He  said,  "  I  have  paid  a  liberal  tax  to  build 
nine  different  school-houses,  better  ones  than  are 
usually  seen  in  older  sections  of  the  country,  and  now 
three  men  settled  on  the  one  section  I  do  not  own, 
vote  a  tax  of  ten  or  twelve  hundred  dollars,  three- 
fourths  of  which  I  have  to  pay.  These  Western 
men  are  ardent  supporters  of  education."  This 
last  statement  of  the  building  of  school-houses  may 
have  been  an  exaggeration  in  this  instance,  but  simi- 
lar cases  did  occur,  and  forcibl}^  show  the  nature 
of  the  contest  waged  between  the  settlers  and  those 
called  land  speculators.  And  where  the  settlers 
made  the  laws  and  executed  them,  they  frequently'' 
had  the  advantage. 


ADAMS. 

Adams  embraces  T.  36,  R.  5.  It  lies  on  the  north 
line  of  the  county,  and  is  drained  by  Little  Indian 
creek,  which  runs  southwardly  near  the  centre 
of  the  town,  and  furnished  a  fair  supply  of  timber 
for  the  early  settlers.     The  Chicago,  Burlington  & 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Adams.  455 

Quincy  Railroad  passes  northeastwardly  across  the 
north  side  of  the  town,  and  Leland  Station  is  a 
thriving  village.  The  first  settlement  was  in  1836, 
but  the  settlements  were  few,  and  scattered,  till  the 
advent  of  the  railroad,  after  which  the  town  rapidly 
filled  up. 

Mordecai  Disney,  and  son-in-law,  Sprague,  set- 
tled on  S.  27,  in  1836,  on  the  east  side  of  Little 
Indian  creek,  and  were  the  first  in  the  town  ;  they 
claimed  all  the  country,  and  sold  claims  to  all  that 
came  ;  they  left  in  a  year  or  two,  probably  to  re- 
peat the  same  speculation  elsewhere. 

Nathan  Townsend,  from  Sullivan  County,  New 
York,  in  1836  ;  came  through  by  wagon,  stopped  at 
Ottawa  for  the  winter,  and  settled  on  S.  27,  in  the 
spring  of  1837.  He  died  in  1857.  His  children  are  : 
Charles,  now  living  near  Streator  ;  John,  and  Alva, 
are  in  Kansas  ;  Mary  Ann,  married  John  Nichols, 
she  died  1841  ;  Olive,  married  Charlton  Hall,  she 
died  1853 — (Elder  Batcheller  married  them,  and  at- 
tended both  the  funerals) ;  Margaret,  married  Ed- 
win Beardsley  ;  Deborah,  married  Reuben  Bronson  ; 
Phebe,  married  James  Stoutenbury ;  George,  and 
James,  are  at  Kankakee  ;  Perry,  was  murdered  at 
Pike's  Peak. 

Aaron  Beardsley,  with  his  family,  came  from 
Massachusetts  to  La  Salle  County,  in  1835,  and  first 
lived  in  the  town  of  Serena,  and  moved  into  Adams 
in  1836,  buying  a  claim  of  Disney,  on  S.  23 — some 
say  it  was  in  1838. 

Henry  G.  Beardsley  came  in  1 838 ;  married  La- 
vinia  Blake  ;  lives  on  S.  22  ;  has  seven  children. 


456  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


William  Saro-eaiit  came  from  Indiana  in  1838  ; 
settled  on  S.  27 ;  died  in  Indiana.  Had  three  sons  : 
James,  Newton,  and  Jackson. 

Eeuben  Bronson  came  from  Green  County,  N'ew 
York,  in  1838;  lived  a  few  months  at  Holderman's 
Grove ;  settled  in  Adams  in  the  fall ;  married 
Deborah  Townsend  ;  bought  the  claim  of  Thove 
Kettleson  on  S.  22 ;  has  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  four  years.  They  have  five  children  :  Ru- 
hana,  married  Theron  J.  Baresford,  and  lives  in 
Amboy  ;  Albert,  lives  near  Amboy  ;  Jay,  is  at 
school ;  Alice,  and  Arthur,  at  home. 

Joshua  Richardson,  from  Indiana  in  1837  ;  settled 
on  S.  85  ;  sold  to  Wilcox,  and  went  back  to  Indiana. 

Riverius  Wilcox  came  in  1837,  bought  claim  of 
Joshua  Richardson  ;  died  years  ago. 

Allen  Wilcox,  son  of  Riverius  Wilcox,  came  the 
same  year  ;  now  at  Amboy. 

Nathaniel  S.  Pierce,  and  wife,  Mary  E.  Simmons, 
from  Middleborough,  Massachusetts,  in  1838  ;  set- 
tled on  S.  28,  in  1840  ;  he  raised  a  large  family,  and 
became  wealthy  ;  he  died  in  1876,  aged  74.  His 
children  are  :  Deborah  S.,  Mar}^  E.,  Robert  Riche}^, 
Samuel  N.,  Nathaniel,  Lucy  S.,  Hannah  V.,  Susan, 
Levi,  Ebenezer. 

Andrew  Anderson,  Ole  T.  Oleson,  Halvar  Nelson, 
and  some  others,  emigrated  from  Norway  in  the 
spring  of  1836,  and  came  to  La  Salle  County  in  the 
summer  of  the  same  year,  and  settled  in  the  town 
of  Adams  in  the  spring  of  1837,  on  Sees.  21  and  22. 
Mr.  Anderson  is  quite  wealthy.  Ole  T.  Oleson  died 
long  since  ;  his   widow   lived   until  January,  1877-, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Adams.  457 


when  she  died — over  9(>  years  of  age.  Their  son, 
Nels  Oleson,  lives  on  the  old  place.  Halvar  Nelson 
settled  on  Section  15,  in  1837,  and  died  soon  after. 
John  Kalliim  located  there  about  the  same  time, 
and  died  soon  after.  His  sons,  Jacob  and  Mark, 
lived  on  the  old  place  until  recently  ;  they  removed 
West. 

Thove  Tillotson,  from  Norway,  settled  on  Sec.  22 
in  1837,  and  sold  to  Reuben  Bronson  in  1839, 

Paul  Iverson,  from  Norway,  came  in  1837,  and 
located  on  Section  14,  where  his  two  sons,  Thomas 
and  Nels,  lived  until  recently. 

Halvar  K.  Halvarson  and  family,  came  from  Nor- 
way in  1838,  lived  in  Rutland  first,  and  removed  to 
Adams  in  1840. 

Hans  O.  Hanson  and  family,  came  from  Norway 
in  1839  and  settled  on  Section  15  in  1840  ;  the  father 
and  mother  are  both  dead.  The  oldest  son,  Ole  H., 
lives  on  the  old  place  ;  another  son,  Alexander, 
lives  near,  on  Section  20  ;  the  oldest  daughter.  Ber- 
tha, married  Thomas  Mosey,  and  lives  in  Freedom  ; 
Lovina,  married  P.  H.  Peterson  ;  Helen,  is  married 
and  lives  in  Iowa. 

In  1837,  a  number  of  Norwegians  came  from 
Stavinger,  (the  place  from  which  the  first  colonists 
came  to  America),  and  settled  mostly  in  Mission. 
One  family,  that  of  Osman  Thomason,  settled  in 
Adams  in  1839  ;   he  died  in  187G,  aged  92. 

Ansel  Dewey,  and  wife,  Philanc}^  Alvord,  from 
Lenox,  Mass.,  settled  near  Troy  Grove,  and  removed 
to  the  town  of  Adams  in  1849,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  has  eight  children:    Mary  E.,   married  Samuel 

3C> 


458  HisUyiy  of  La  Salle  County. 

Dewey;  Milton  E.,  married  Rebecca  J.  Brown; 
Maria  L. ,  and  Frances  C. ,  are  at  home  ;  Cliaiincey  B. , 
married  Miss  Blodget  in  Vermilion  County  ;  Wm. 
A.,  at  home  ;  Henrietta,  married  Charles  S.  Brown 
in  Vermillion  County  ;  Charles  O.,  in  Ottawa. 


MILLER. 


The  town  of  Miller  embraces  Township  34,  Range 
5  ;  it  is  nearly  all  prairie,  and  is  settled  mostly  by 
emigrants  from  Norway.  The  settlements  commenced 
in  1834.  It  has  no  railroad,  but  the  town  is  populous 
and  wealthy. 

Cling  Pierson,  a  native  of  Norway,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1822  ;  in  1824  he  returned  to  his 
native  place  and  gave  a  glowing  account  of  the 
Western  world,  and  through  his  representations  and 
efforts,  the  first  Norwegian  colony  emigrated  and 
settled  in  Orleans  Coiinty,  New  York,  in  1825.  In 
1834,  Pierson  again  led  a  portion  of  his  countrymen 
from  New  York  to  La  Salle  County,  who  settled 
in  what  is  now  the  towns  of  Miller  and  Mission. 
Cling  seems  to  have  been  a  restless,  roving  spirit,  and 
might  under  favorable  circumstances  have  achieved 
fame  as  an  explorer.  He  led  the  way  in  the  settle- 
ment of  his  countrymen  on  American  soil,  and 
thousands  of  the  natives  of  Norway  and  their  de- 
scendants now  occupying  happy  and  luxurious 
homes  in  this  Western  valley,  owe  their  present 
status  in  part,  at  least,  to  the  lead  and  efforts  of 
Cling  Pierson. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Miller.  459 

It  seems  he  could  not  rest  while  there  were  other 
lands  to  explore ;  he  removed  to  Texas,  and  died 
there. 

Oliver  Canuteson,  one  of  the  first  company  from 
Norway  to  New  York,  in  1825.  Came  to  Illinois 
in  1834 — died  in  1850.  He  left  two  sons  and  one 
daughter.     One  son  died  in  the  army  in  1863. 

Mils  Thompson  came  from  Norway  to  New  York 
in  1825  ;  came  here  in  1834— died  about  1856. 

Yerk  Hoveland  came  from  Norway  to  New  York 
in  1825,  and  to  Illinois  in  1 834 ;  died  at  Ottawa  in 
1870. 

Oliver  Knuteson  came  from  Norway  to  New  York 
in  1825,  and  to  Illinois  in  1834  ;  died  in  1848,  leaving 
four  children. 

Christian  Oleson,  from  Norway,  in  1825,  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  1834  ;  died  in  1858,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren. 

Torson  Oleson,  from  Norway,  in  1825,  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  1834 ;  went  to  Wisconsin. 

Ova  Rostal,  and  wife,  Miss  Jacobs,  from  Norway 
in  1825,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1835  ;  now  in  Iowa. 

Daniel  Rostal,  brother  to  Ova,  and  wife,  came 
at  the  same  time ;  died  in  1860. 

John  Rostal,  brother  of  above,  came  at  the  same 
time  from  Norway  and  New  York  ;  here  now  ;  mar- 
ried Miss  Pierson,  and  settled  on  Section  3  ;  has  five 
children. 

The  first  colony  of  Norwegians,  who  came  in 
1834,  settled  mostly  in  what  is  now  the  northwest 
part  of  Miller,  and  the  southwest  part  of  Mission, 
and  was  for  a  long  time  known  as  the  Norwegian 
settlement. 


460  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


George  Johnson,  one  of  the  first  from  Norway, 
came  here  in  1834 ;  died  in  1846  ;  had  four  children. 

Tortal  H.  Erickson,  from  Norway  to  Ottawa  in 
1837,  to  Rutland  in  1840,  then  to  California  and 
Australia,  and  back  to  Miller  in  1866  ;  married 
Helen  Pierson  ;  has  eight  children. 

Nels  Nelson,  from  Norway  to  New  York  in  1825, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1836  ;  has  seven  children. 

Austin  Baker  came  in  1839  ;  died  in  Minnesota. 

Canute  Williamson  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois 
in  1838  ;  living  here  now. 

Nels  Frewlin  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois  in 
1839  ;  now  here. 

Ole  Oleson,  one  of  the  fifty-two  that  embarked  in 
the  little  sloop,  in  1825,  came  to  Illinois  in  1834. 

All  who  came  from  Norway  in  1825,  were  passen- 
gers in  the  famous  sloop. 

Canute  Olson  came  from  Norivay  to  Illinois  in 
1836  ;  died  in  1846. 

Lars  Brenson  came  from   Norway  to   Illinois  in 

1836. 

Nels  Nelson,  the  older,  from  Norway  in  1825,  in 
the  sloop,  came  to  Illinois  in  1835,  purchased  a  farm, 
and  moved  his  family  in  1846. 

Andrew  Anderson,  from  Norway  to  New  York  in 
1836,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1838,  with  his  wife, 
Olena  Nelson;  he  died  of  cholera  in  1849.  His 
widow  died  in  1875.  The  children  were  two  sons 
and  two  daughters. 

Ener  Anderson  came  with  his  father  ;  he  married 
Margaret  Gunnison,  and  settled  on  S.  16,  T.  34,  R.  5  ; 
has  had  eleven  children ;  eight  are  still  living. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Otter  Creelc.  461 

Andrew,  Jr.,  also  came  with  his  father  ;  has  several 
children  now  living  in  Ottawa  ;  Sosa.n,  married  John 
Hill ;  Elizabeth,  married  Henry  Doggett. 

Lars  Nelson  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois  in  1838 ; 
died  in  1847. 

Henry  Sibley  came  from  Norway  in  1838  ;  went  to 
Salt  Lake. 

Lars  B.  Olson  came  from  New  York  in  1837. 

Michael  Olson  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois  in 
1839;  died  in  1877. 

David  W.  Conard  settled  on  Section  30.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Debolt ;  second  wife,  Miss  Grove. 


OTTER  CREEK. 

Otter  Creek  township,  embracing  T.  31,  R.  4,  orig- 
inally a  part  of  the  town  of  Brnce,  was  detached 
and  made  a  town  in  1871,  and  named  from  the  creek 
of  that  name  which  runs  from  east  to  west  across 
the  town  near  its  centre,  and  with  its  principal 
branch,  Wolf  creek,  furnishes  a  small  area  of  good 
timber. 

The  few  early  settlements  in  the  town  were,  like 
all  others  at  that  day,  confined  to  this  belt  of  timber, 
the  remainder  of  the  town  being  all  prairie — which 
settled  much  less  rapidly,  but  is  now  full  of  people. 

Solomon  Brock,  born  in  Kentucky,  and  came 
from  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1830,  to  Bailey's  Point, 
and  to  S.  21  in  1833.  He  married  Jane  Moon, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Moon,  and  raised  a  family  where 
he  first  settled.     He  died  in  1860.    His  children  were  : 


462  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Henry,  who  is  married  ;  Evans  B,,  married  Sarah 
Birtwell,  and  occupies  the  old  farm  ;  Rees  B.,  mar- 
ried Mary  Cooper,  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Hartsville  ;  Philander  B.,  married  Ellen  Spencer,  he 
is  now  insane;  Calvin B.,  married  Sarah  Hart,  and 
moved  to  Iowa  ;  Ellen,  married  Christian  Wagoner  ; 
Mary,  married  Jerry  Hopple  ;  Orilla  Jane,  married 
Wm.  H.  Gochanour  ;  Lilly  married  Daniel  Barrack- 
man,  she  is  dead  ;    Anna,  married  J.  C.  Campbell. 

Hiram  Brock,  twin  brother  of  Solomon,  came 
from  Ohio  in  1835.    Went  to  Iowa. 

James  McKernan,  son  of  John  McKernan,  of  South 
Ottawa,  wdtli  his  mother,  settled  on  S.  22,  at  the  head 
of  the  creek  timber  in  1834,  where  he  still  resides  ; 
his  mother  died  there  in  1872.  Mr.  McKernan  has 
held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several 
years,  and  was  Captain  of  Volunteers  in  the  late 
war.  He  married  Miss  Cramer,  and  has  eight  child- 
ren: Rosanna  married  Aaron  Kleiber  in  Allen;  George 
married  Miss  Little,  now  in  Iowa  ;  Samuel  married, 
and  resides  near  his  father  ;  Candace  married  Henry 
Ackerman  in  Iowa  ;  Solanda  married  M.  Lockwood, 
and  lives  near  the  old  place  ;  Ann  Eliza  married 
Matthias  Cavanaugh.  Two  younger  children  at 
home. 

Hugh  and  Patrick  McKernan,  brothers  of  James, 
died  single. 

Benjamin  Craig,  from  Ohio,  settled  on  S.16,  in  1887. 
Sold  to  Pickens. 

Martin  Dukes,  from  Kentucky,  in  1885,  settled 
near  McKernan,  and  after  two  or  three  years  moved 
to  Iowa. 


1 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Waltham.  463 


Henry  Pickens,  from  Middlebury,  Mass.,  came  to 
Otter  Creek  in  1839  with  his  wife,  Mercy  Pierce. 
Mr.  Pickens  died  in  1844.  His  widow  is  still  living 
with  her  son  James,  aged  89  years. 

James  Pickens  and  wife,  Eliza  Chase,  from  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  1838,  came  in  a  wagon  the  whole  dis- 
tance with  his  family  and  aged  grandmother,  Mrs. 
Abia  Hathaway,  who  died  a  few  years  after,  aged 
98.  He  settled  on  the  creek,  and  in  1848  moved  to 
Ottawa,  where  he  now  resides.  His  son  Henry  re- 
sides in  South  Ottawa,  and  is  the  Supervisor  of 
that  town. 

Robert  Wade,  from  Lancashire,  England,  in  1830, 
came  to  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  here,  in  1840  ;  he  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Wilson  from  England.  He  has  two 
daughters  :  Rebecca,  married  Henry  Simmons  ; 
Elizabeth,  married  and  lives  on  the  old  place. 

James  Spencer,  from  Lancashire,  England,  came 
with  Mr.  Wade  in  1830,  and  reached  Illinois  in  1840. 
He  married  Mary  Bulsbury,  an  English  lady  from 
Michigan.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  many  years.  His  son  James  was  killed  in 
the  army.  Ellen  married  Philander  Brock  ;  is  now 
living  with  her  father.     One  younger  daughter. 


WALTHAM. 

Township  34,  Range  2,  and  the  town  of  Waltham 
are  in  territory  and  boundaries  identical.  With 
the  exception  of  a  small  grove  on  the  Percomsoggin 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  it  is  all  prairie. 


464  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Thomas  Burnliam  settled  in  the  extreme  southwest 
corner  in  1834.  Some  others  came  in  that  locality  in 
1836,  but  the  first  on  Waltham  Ridge  was  Jones  and 
others,  in  1838,  and  it  peopled  slowly  till  after  1850, 
when  it  filled  up  rapidly  in  common  with  all  the 
prairie  towns.  The  principal  part  of  the  town  is 
high,  rolling  and  desirable  land,  and  is  mostly  cov- 
ered with  first  class  improvements.  The  town  has  no 
railroad,  but  it  has  a  good  and  convenient  market 
at  Utica  and  La  Salle,  sending  its  products  to 
market  by  cheap  canal  transportation.  There  is  a 
French  settlement  of  considerable  numbers  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  town,  and  a  number  of  Scotch 
in  the  northwest.  Several  of  the  early  settlers  on 
Waltham  Ridge  were  from  Waltham,  Mass.,  hence 
the  name. 

Thomas  Burnham,  and  wife,  Climena  Clark,  of 
Granby,  Mass.,  came  from  Lisbon,  Ct.,  and  settled 
on  the  Illinois  bottom,  opposite  Rockwell,  in  July, 
1833.  The  family  were  all  sick.  David  Letts  moved 
them  to  Cedar  Point,  where  they  made  a  claim.  In 
September,  1834,  he  sold  to  Lewis  Waldo  and  moved 
on  to  S.  30,  T.  34,  R.  2,  now  the  town  of  Waltham. 
He  filled  the  offices  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  and 
County  Commissioner  for  several  years.  He  died  in 
May,  1845.  He  and  his  wife  and  aged  father  were 
buried  on  the  farm,  but  have  been  removed  to  Oak- 
wood  Cemetery,  La  Salle,  and  a  sister  has  placed  a 
stone  to  their  memory.  Mr.  Burnham  was  the  first 
settler  ;  erected  the  first  dwelling,  broke  the  first 
prairie,  and  raised  the  first  crop  in  the  town  of  Wal- 
tham.    He  left  two  sons  :  John,  the  first  male  child, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Waltham.  465 


born  in  Waltham,  married  Sarah  Lathrop,  and  lives 
at  Buckley,  111.  Thomas  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Peach  Tree  creek, 

Hannah  Burnham,  sister  of  Thomas,  now  the  old- 
est settler  in  the  town,  lives  with  Alfred  I.  Harts- 
horn, aged  70.     She  came  with  her  brother,  in  1833. 

Stephen  A.  Jones,  from  Waltham,  Mass.,  in  1837; 
settled  on  S.  8,  T.  34,  E.  2  ;  is  still  living  where  he 
first  settled.  He  married  Catharine  Brewster,  of 
Pawlet,  Vt.,  in  1852;  has  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Willie,  Fanny  and  Charles,  all  at  home. 

Zaccheus  Farrell  came  with  Jones  from  Waltham, 
Massachusetts;  settled  on  S.  4,  in  1838.  He  went 
East  to  be  married  in  1840,  and  was  accidentally 
shot. 

George  Nye,  from  Plainfield,  Connecticut,  one  of 
the  Rockwell  colony ;  settled  on  S.  4,  in  1840  ;  died 
1865.  His  widow  now  lives  in  Homer.  One  son  in 
Iowa,  and  one  daughter,  the  wife  of  William  Dana, 
is  in  Waltham. 

John  Hill,  and  wife,  from  Plainfield,  Connecticut, 
in  1840,  now  at  Troy  Grove. 

Joseph  Fullerton,  from  Waltham,  Massachusetts, 
in  the  spring  of  1838.  Settled  on  S.  5,  T.  34,  R.  2  ; 
a  bachelor  ;  he  died  at  Troy  Grove  in  1839. 

Barzillai  Bishop  came  from  Connecticut ;  his  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Allen,  from  Lisbon,  Connecticut ; 
settled  on  S.  29  in  1836  ;  died  soon  after. 

Isaac  H.  Lamb  came  in  1838,  and  settled  on  S.  32. 

Joseph  Meserve,  and  wife,  Betsey  Wood,  from 
Maine  to  New  York,  and  from  New  York  here  in 
1840.     His    children    are  :     Henry,    who    married 


466  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Amelia  Harkness,  lives  at  Buckley,  111.  ;  Willis,  in 
Nebraska  ;  Manning,  married  Elizabeth  Coll,  now 
of  Nebraska  ;  Marietta,  married  Mr.  Hartshorn. 


DIMMICK. 


The  town  of  Dimmick  embraces  Township  34, 
Range  1.  The  Little  Vermillion  passes  from  north  to 
south  through  it,  east  of  the  centre,  and  the  Toma- 
hawk, its  principal  branch,  comes  from  the  northeast 
and  joins  it  on  Section  34.  There  is  considerable 
light  bluff  Limber  along  these  streams,  but  little  bot- 
tom of  heavy  timber  growth  like  that  of  Troy  Grove. 
The  early  settlements  were  correspondingly  slow. 
Along  the  Tomahawk  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  comes 
to  the  surface  of  the  creek  bottom,  and  the  Trenton 
limestone  shows  slightly  in  the  western  part.  The 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  runs  north  near  the  centre 
of  the  town,  and  like  all  railroad  towns,  Dimmick 
has  become  populous  and  wealthy. 

The  first  settler  in  the  town  was  Daniel  Dimmick, 
who  came  from  Mansfield,  Ct.,  in  1824,  to  Washing- 
ton, Richland  County,  Ohio,  and  from  Ohio  to  Peoria 
in  1 828,  to  near  Princeton,  in  Bureau  County,  in  the 
spring  of  1829,  and  in  1830  to  near  Lamoille,  and 
went  to  Hennepin  during  the  Indian  war.  In  1833 
he  settled  on  Sec.  26,  in  the  i)resent  town  of  Dim- 
mick. Mr.  Dimmick  had  much  new  countrj'-  experi- 
ence. He  carried  the  chain  to  lay  off  the  town  of 
Zanesville,  in  Oliio,  in  a  wind-fall,  and  he  lived  many 
years  in  his  final  home,  almost  secluded  from  neigh- 


SketcJt  of  Settlers  —  Dlmmick.  46Y 

bors  and  society.  He  held  the  oflBce  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Elijah, 
in  1851.  Mr.  Dimmick  had  six  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Elijah  is  the  only  one  remaining  here ; 
he  married  Mary  E.  Philips,  second  wife,  Caroline 
Foot,  and  has  seven  children.  He  says  that  in  the 
spring  of  1833,  while  in  Hennepin,  his  father  sent 
him  to  Dixon  to  inquire  of  Mr.  John  Dixon  if  it 
was  safe  to  come  back,  and  Mr.  Dixon  assured  him 
that  it  was,  and  they  then  went  on  their  claim  in  the 
town  of  Dimmick. 

Jarvis  Swift  came  from  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
1838  ;  married  Jerusha  Kellogg. 

Elijah,  married  Lydia  Tibballs,  now  in  California. 

Richard  H.,  married  Melissa  A.  Tibballs,  came 
in  1835,  was  a  prominent  capitalist,  and  loaned 
money  till  1840,  then  went  to  Chicago,  engaged 
heavily  in  banking,  and  failed  in  September,  1857;  is 
now  in  Colorado,  in  reduced  circumstances. 

Henry  Swift  married  Mary  Simpson,  and  died  in 
Colorado. 

Lyman  Swift  is  in  Chicago. 

Albert  is  in  Michigan. 

Mary  married  Mr.  Anderson,  is  in  Kansas. 

Garret  Fitzgerald  was  an  early  settler  in  the  west 
part  of  the  town. 

Israel  Kingman  came  in  1835,  and  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 1 .  He  lost  three  sons  in  the  army  in  the  war 
of  the  rebellion. 


468  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


GROVELAND. 

Township  29,  Range  2,  constitutes  the  town  of 
Groveland.  It  is  the  southernmost  town  in  the 
county,  and  the  last  settled.  With  the  town  of 
Osage,  it  lies  between  the  counties  of  Marshall  and 
Livingston,  and  when  those  counties  were  organized 
from  territory  taken  partly  from  La  Salle,  both  of 
them  refused  to  take  the  territory  included  in  those 
towns.  So  La  Salle  from  necessity  had  to  keep  it. 
With  the  present  population  and  wealth  they  con- 
stitute no  insignificant  portion  of  the  county.  The 
west  side  of  the  town  is  the  most  elevated.  Prairie 
creek  rises  near  New  Rutland  and  runs  to  and 
along  the  north  line.  Long  Point  creek  rises  near 
Minonk,  and  crosses  the  town  from  southwest  to 
northeast,  while  the  southeast  portion  is  drained  by 
Diamond  creek.  All  these  run  northeastwardly 
to  the  Vermillion,  and  make  effectual  drainage.  In 
1865  the  town  was  an  unbroken  prairie,  without  an 
inhabitant.  The  first  house  in  the  town  was  moved 
on  to  the  present  site  of  New  Rutland,  and  made  a 
section-house  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  It 
was  made  a  liquor  saloon,  and  destroyed  by  a  mob 
in  1865.  The  railroad  was  built  through  the  town 
before  it  was  settled,  and  doubtless  was  the  agency 
that  developed  its  resources.  AbnerShinn  built  the 
first  house  and  Oscar  Jacobson  occupied  it  in  March, 
1855,  being  the  first  resident  in  the  town.  He  left 
in  1862.  The  second  resident  was  Elias  Frink,  and 
wife,  Emily  Whitman,  from  Onondaga  County,  N. 
Y. ;  he  settled  on  S.  22.     His  only  child,  W.  E.,  mar- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Grotelaiid.  469 

ried  Orvilla  Kenyon,  and  has  seven  children.  He 
was  a  good  soklier,  and  is  Police  Magistrate  in  the 
village  of  Dana.  The  third  was  Lewis  W.  Martin, 
from  Indiana  ;  he  made  an  improvement  on  Sec.  10  ; 
sold  to  Alva  Winans  and  went  to  Nebraska.  Geo. 
W.  Gray  located  and  lives  on  S.  11  in  1855,  and  raised 
a  large  family.  The  fifth  settler  was  William  Mar- 
tin ;  he  pre-empted  the  northeast  quarter  Section 
25th.  An  Englishman  by  birth,  he  enlisted  in  the  33d 
Regiment,  and  died  on  his  way  home  from  the  army; 
a  bachelor,  he  left  no  relatives  but  a  sister,  Mrs. 
Anna  Swift  of  Bloomington.  Nelson  Cooper,  from 
Maryland,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  settled  on  S.  17. 
He  enlisted  in  the  104th  Kegiment.  His  wife  was 
Sarah  M.  Jacobson,  daughter  of  John  Jacobson. 
He  is  the  present  Supervisor  of  the  town.  John 
Jacobson,  from  Germany  to  Ohio,  was  a  magistrate 
there ;  was  Supervisor  here  for  several  years,  and 
moved  to  Nebraska  in  1869. 

An  emigration  association  was  formed  in  January, 
1855,  of  about  two  hundred  members,  residing  in 
the  vicinity  of  Rutland,  Vermont.  Each  member 
paid  ten  dollars,  and  was  to  have  a  lot  in  an  embryo 
city  to  be  located  somewhere  in  the  far  West.  Dr. 
Allen  and  W.  B.  Burns  were  the  locating  commit- 
tee. The  present  site  of  New  Rutland  was  selected, 
being  the  northwest  40  acres  on  S.  18,  and  southwest 
40  on  S.  7.  The  railroad  gave  the  members  a  prefer- 
ence in  the  selection  of  their  lands  at  20  per  cent, 
discount.  W.  B.  Burns  came  on  the  ground  in 
August,  1855  ;  built  a  house  and  occupied  it  in  1856  ; 
he  was  the  master  spirit  of  the  enterprise  and  in- 


470  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


sured  its  success  ;  bad  health  induced  him  to  re- 
move to  California,  where  he  died  in  1875.  Willard 
Proctor  and  Rufus  Weston  were  the  first  to  select 
lands  under  the  arrangement  with  the  railroad. 
John  Wadleigh  came  to  the  town  in  the  fall  of  1855; 
settled  in  the  village  in  1856;  was  Capt.  Co.  I,  104th 
Regiment,  and  had  the  care  of  the  regiment  for 
awhile  ;  now  Postniaster  at  New  Rutland.  Daniel 
Wadleigh  came  about  the  same  time  as  his  brother 
John. 

Daniel  Arnold  came  in  the  spring  of  1856.  Has 
been  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Supervisor,  and  held 
other  town  offices. 

S.  L.  Bangs  came  in  1856  ;  he  was  agent  for  Mark 
Bangs,  a  younger  brother,  in  building  five  dwellings, 
and  purchasing  about  $100,  Ooo  worth  of  railroad 
lands,  and  breaking  800  acres  of  prairie.  The  spec- 
ulation failed  of  success  in  the  revulsion  of  1857. 

John  T.  Grove  came  in  1856  ;  was  called  the  village 
blacksmith  ;  was  afterwards  a  merchant.  His  son, 
E.  Gove,  was  a  successful  teacher  ;  a  Lieutenant  in 
the  Thirty-third  Regiment,  and  breveted  a  Major. 

Charles  Lamb,  Andrew  Moffatt  and  Reuben  Tay- 
lor came  in  the  spring  of  1856. 

John  Grove  and  son,  J.  M.  Grove,  came  and  set- 
tled on  the  west  half  of  Section  15,  in  the  spring  of 
1856.  John  Grove  was  the  oldest  man  in  the  town. 
J.  M.  taught  school  from  his  eighteenth  year ; 
studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Ohio. 
He  held  the  ofiices  of  Assessor  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  Supervisor. 

John  H.  Martin,  born  in  Wayne  County,  Illinois,. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Groneland.  471 


was  raised  in  Marshall  County,  having  lived  there 
since  1829  ;  removed  on  to  Section  25  in  March, 
1856, 

Alexander  Clegg,  from  West  Virginia,  settled  on 
Sec.  25.  His  daughter,  Florence,  was  the  first  child 
born  in  the  town. 

Marshall  Smiley,  on  Sec.  36  ;  Thomas  Reeder  and 
Joseph  H.  Brown  settled  near  the  south  line  of  the 
town  ;  A.  Mullen  andR.  Bal linger  settled  on  S.  6 — 
all  in  the  spring  of  1836. 

The  first  religious  meetings  were  held  in  the 
hotel  stable  ;  and  afterwards  in  the  hotel.  Esquire 
Barney  O'Neal  on  the  Vermillion,  twenty  miles 
away,  was  the  nearest  Justice  of  the  Peace  ; 
there  was  no  law,  yet  all  was  orderly.  At  the 
Presidential  election  in  1856,  the  political  excite- 
ment reached  the  infant  settlement,  and  all  went 
twenty  miles  to  the  house  of  Alif  Groff,  near  the 
Vermilion,  to  vote — all  but  one  voting  tor  Fremont. 
Groveland  was  made  a  town  in  the  fall  of  1856. 
First  election  was  held  in  April,  1857;  W.  B.  Burns, 
Supervisor  ;  John  Wadleigh,  Clerk  ;  and  J.  M. Grove, 
Assessor. 

Groveland  has  two  villages  and  railroad  stations 
within  its  limits  :  New  Rutland  on  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  and  Dana  on  the  Chicago,  Pekin  &  South- 
western— both  of  which  roads  pass  through  the  town. 
New  Rutland  has  five  churches,  a  graded  school,  ten 
stores,  a  grain  elevator,  mill,  and  800  population. 
Dana,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  has  two 
grain  elevators,  one  church,  six  stores,  a  mill,  and 
250  population.     Like  all  settlers  in  a  prairie  town. 


472  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


the  people  know  tlie  importance  of  timber-planting, 
and  belts  and  groves  of  timber  are  scattered  over  its 
surface  on  nearh'  every  farm. 


RICHLAND. 

The  town  of  Richland  embraces  the  west  two- 
thirds  of  T.  31,  of  R.  2.  It  constituted  a  part  of 
Eagle  Township  till  1867.  It  is  an  elevated  prairie 
district,  with  no  considerable  stream,  and  no  timber 
land  within  its  limits.  When  the  county  was  divid- 
ed into  townships,  under  the  Township  Organiza- 
tion Act,  the  Commissioners  decided  to  make  the 
navigable  rivers,  or  such  as  were  so  declared  by  law, 
township  lines,  and  consequently  all  towns  cut  by 
the  Illinois,  Fox,  and  Vermillion  rivers,  were  divid- 
ed by  the  stream. 

The  town  of  Eagle  embraced  T.  31,  R.  2,  and  half 
of  the  town  east  of  it,  and  south  of  the  river.  This 
policy  was  adopted  for  the  reason  that  there  were 
no  bridges,  and  the  streams  were  impassable  at  high 
water.  Where  the  streams  have  been  bridged,  the 
tendency  has  been  to  so  alter  the  town  lines  as  to 
have  the  boundaries  correspond  with  the  surveyed 
township.  This  is  a  great  convenience  in  electing 
school  officers,  and  doing  the  business  relating  to 
schools — and  that  size  is  doubtless  the  most  con- 
venient. If  Bruce  had  claimed  the  part  of  her  town- 
ship south  of  the  river,  and  Eagle  or  Richland  taken 
the  balance,  or  the  whole  of  T.  31,  R.  2,  it  would 
have  been  a  better  arrangement.     Bruce  would  have 


Sketch  of  Settlers — RlcJtland.  473 


been  forced  to  build  a  bridge  over  the  Yermillion, 
which  ought  to  have  been  done  long  since.  Rich- 
land, being  a  prairie  town,  remained  unoccupied 
till  the  building  of  the  canal  and  railroad  made  its 
settlement  practicable.  In  1849  William  Linder  set- 
tled on  S.  3.  Peter  Eschback,  in  1851,  settled  on 
the  same  section.  Conrad  Eschback,  in  the  same 
year,  settled  on  S.  10,  all  from  Germany,  and  com- 
menced what  is  now  the  prosperous  German  settle, 
ment  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town. 

E.  A.  Chase,  from  New  England  in  1838,  settled 
first  in  Deer  Park,  and  subsequently  in  Richland, 
on  S.  7.     He  is  now  in  Florida. 

Reuben  Hall,  from  Ohio  in  1851,  or  1852,  settled 
on  S.  7. 

Asa  Dunham,  about  1848,  settled  on  S.  8,  and  J. 
L.  Dunham,  in  1854,  on  S.  7— both  from  Ohio. 

Robert  E.  McGrew,  and  sons,  from  Ohio  in  1854, 
settled  on  S.  8. 

Cutting,  and  Dana  B.  Clark,  from  Maine,  in  1854, 
settled  on  S.  18. 

Elwood  Grist,  about  1850,  settled  on  S.  29  ;  he 
died  in  1855. 

Israel  Jones,  from  Maine  ;  W.  Keller,  from  Ohio  ; 
Isaac  Yale,  from  Pennsylvania  ;  William  Copeland, 
Andrew  Foss,  and  Alfred  Lathrop,  from  Maine. 
The  foregoing  were  those  who  first  occupied  and 
improved  farms  and  participated  in  the  experiences 
incident  to  the  opening  of  a  new  country.  Richland 
is  now  a  well  settled  and  populous  town,  the  Ger- 
man element  largely  predominating. 


31 


474  History  of  Lo.  Salle  County. 

OSAGE. 

The  town  of  Osage  includes  the  Congressional 
Township  30  North,  of  Range  2  East,  the  south  line 
of  Groveland  or  Township  29  being  at  first  the  south 
line  of  La  Salle  County,  along  all  its  southern 
border. 

Osage  is  a  prairie  region  exclusively.  Surrounded 
by  prairie  and  distant  from  the  county  seat,  it  was 
unoccupied  until  after  the  older  portions  of  the 
county  had  become  comparatively  an  old  country, 
and  yet  the  early  settlers  have  a  lively  recollection 
of  the  loneliness  and  privations  of  a  new  region. 
The  first  entrj^  of  Government  land  was  in  November, 
1829.  The  N.  W.  I  Sec.  17  was  entered  by  John 
O.  Dent ;  at  the  same  time  he  entered  for  R.  E.  Dent, 
now  of  California,  the  N.  W.J  of  same  Section. 
.  In  1850,  Daniel  Grimes  entered  the  N.  W.  J  of 
Sec.  6,  and  John  and  Amos  Scott  entered  the  N. 
^  of  Sec.  4,  The  pioneer  practice  of  making  claims 
on  Government  land  had  about  become  obsolete, 
and  a  legal  title  was  considered  the  only  valuable 
one. 

The  first  settlers  were — Daniel  Grimes  who  settled 
in  1850  ;  R.  E.  Dent,  April,  1851  ;  John  0.  Dent, 
1851  ;  James  M.  Collen,  May,  1852 ;  James  Honer, 
1852. 

The  town  was  named  from  the  Osage  hedge  plant. 
William  H.  Mann  grew  ninet}^  acres  of  plants,  and 
Dent  &  Verner  grew  forty  acres  of  plants  the  year 
the  town  was  organized. 

The  town  was  organized  in  1857 — John  O.  Dent, 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Allen.  •  475 

Supervisor  ;  James  B.  Work,  T.  Clark,  Gr.  M.  Good- 
ale,  A.  Ledore  and  John  York,  Commissioners ; 
John  Elliot  and  John  N.York,  Justices  of  the  Peace ; 
R.  E.  Dent,  Collector  ;  Pleasant  York,  Assessor. 

The  town  is  well  fenced  with  Osage  hedge,  and 
numerous  thrift}''  groves  of  timber  exist.  It  is 
doubtless  true  that  a  prairie  region  will,  in  the  fu- 
ture, be  better  supplied  with  timber  than  one  with  a 
heavy  primitive  growth,  and  a  town  entirely  desti- 
tute will  feel  the  necessity  and  make  more  provision 
for  the  future  supply  than  one  partially  or  fully 
supplied. 

Such  seems  to  be  the  case  in  La  Salle  County. 
John  O.  Dent  has  taken  the  lead  in  this  direction, 
having  forty  acres  of  timber  planted  on  his  premises, 
and  groves  of  maple,  black  walnut,  ash,  etc.,  are 
conspicuous  objects  on  most  of  the  farms  in  the 
town.  In  this  respect  it  is  said  to  be  in  advance  of 
any  other  town  in  the  county,  and  the  bleak  and 
naked  face  of  the  native  prairie  is  thus  transformed 
into  a  beautiful  variegated  landscape,  now  a  thing 
of  beauty  and  comfort. 


ALLEN. 


The  town  of  Allen  is  composed  of  the  Congres- 
sional Township  31  North,  of  R.  5  East,  and  is  the 
southeastern  town  in  the  county.  It  is  entirely 
prairie,  having  no  natural  groAvth  of  timber  within 
its  limits  or  near  its  border.  The  soil  is  good,  and 
the  surface  mostly  rolling.     From  its  location  at  a 


476  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

distance  from  timber  and  at  the  extreme  limit  of 
the  county,  it  remained  unoccupied  until  twenty 
years  after  the  organization  of  the  county,  and 
twenty-five  years  after  settlements  commenced  with- 
in the  county  limits. 

The  first  permanent  resident  in  the  town  was 
Robert  Miller,  from  New  England — a  Quaker.  He 
settled  on  Section  12,  in  the  fall  of  1850  ;  after  a 
few  years  residence  he  removed  to  Iowa. 

The  next  was  Michael  Kepner  from  Perry  County, 
Pa.,  in  the  spring  of  1851 ;  he  made  a  claim  on  S. 
16,  where  he  remained  five  or  six  years,  and  removed 
to  Minnesota. 

James  Mclntyre  made  a  claim  on  S.  16,  in  1851, 
but  resided  in  Peru  one  year,  then  occupied  his 
claim  two  years,  and  in  1853  moved  on  S.  14,  where 
he  now  resides. 

Two  brothers,  John  and  Inglehart  Wormley  came 
from  Pennsylvania  in  1852,  and  settled  on  Sees.  21 
and  22,  where  John  still  resides.  Inglehart  was  the 
first  Supervisor  of  the  town.  In  1862  or  63,  he  re- 
moved to  Southern  Illinois. 

Adam  Fry,  from  Ohio,  came  to  Du  Page  County 
in  1835,  and  in  the  fall  of  1852  settled  on  Section  6, 
where  he  died  in  Sept.,  1874;  his  widow  still  occupies 
the  same  place. 

Elias  C.  Lane,  from  Ohio  to  Putnam  County  in 
1845,  then  to  Hickory  Point  in  1853,  and  to  Sec.  8  in 
1855,  where  he  still  resides,  at  the  age  of  about  90 
years,  with  his  son,  W.  H.  Lane. 

William  Flint  bought  land  on  Section  9  in  1851, 
and  occupied  it  in  1853  ;  he  spent  ten  years  in  im- 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Allen.  477 

proving  and  developing  the  town,  and  then  removed 
to  Tonica. 

M.  C.  Lane,  son  of  Elias  C,  from  Brown  Conntj^, 
Ohio,  entered  land  on  Section  9  in  1851,  and  occu- 
pied it  in  1856. 

John  Cochran,  from  Adams  County,  Ohio,  entered 
land  on  Section  3  in  1851,  and  has  occupied  it  since 
1856. 

John  Higgins,  a  native  of  Prince  Edward' s  Island, 
and  from  Putnam  County  here  ;  made  an  improve- 
ment on  Section  8  in  1855,  and  has  occupied  it  with 
his  family  since  1856. 

John  L.  Summers,  from  Adams  County,  Ohio, 
bought  land  on  Section  10  in  1851,  moved  on  and 
improved  it  in  1855  ;  returned  to  Ohio  in  December, 
1866,  and  came  back  to  his  first  love  in  Jan.,  1876. 

David  Griffith  came  from  Washington  County,  Pa. , 
in  1 857,  and  settled  on  Section  25 — then  three  to  four 
miles  from  neighbors  ;  he  died  Aug.  14,  1877. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Hamilton,  from  Ohio  to  Putnam 
County  in  1846,  and  here  in  1856. 

Allen  Stevens,  from  Canada  to  Du  Page  County, 
and  thence  here  in  1857;  is  now  living  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  5. 

Since  1857  the  town  of  Allen  has  rapidly  filled  up 
with  an  enterprising  population,  so  that  there  is  no 
vacant  land  in  the  town,  and  the  improvements  of 
most  of  her  citizens  are  not  behind  those  of  her 
sister  towns.  The  dwellings,  barns,  and  other  im- 
provements of  Nathaniel  and  James  Mclntyre,  M. 
C.  Lane,  Thomas  Sullivan,  Henry  Smith,  and  some 
others,  are  scarcely  excelled  in  the  older  States. 


478  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


The  extension  of  the  Chicago,  Pekin  &  South- 
western Railroad  was  built  through  the  town  of 
Allen  in  1875,  giving  a  direct  communication  with 
Chicago.  The  station  was  located  near  the  centre  of 
Section  16,  which,  fortunately  for  the  town,  had  not 
been  sold  previous  to  the  location  of  the  road.  The 
town  of  Ransom  was  laid  out  by  the  School  Trustees, 
and  lots  sold  to  the  amount  of  $5,000  at  the  first  sale. 
If  judiciously  managed,  the  town  will  realize  a  very 
eflacient  fund  for  the  support  of  her  schools  through 
all  the  future. 

Thus  this  town,  in  the  centre  of  a  prairie  region, 
far  from  timber,  distant  from  market,  and  long 
neglected,  is  destined  to  be  a  successful  rival  of  the 
older  settled  portions  of  the  county. 


MENDOTA. 


T.  36,  R.  1,  constitutes  the  town  of  Mendota.  It 
lies  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the  county  ; 
has  no  natural  growth  of  timber,  and  was  entirely 
ignored  by  the  early  settlers.  The  settlements 
around  the  head  of  Troy  Grrove  timber  had 
extended  just  over  the  line  into  T.  36,  in  1840. 
O' Brian  came  in  1840,  Taylor,  in  1841  ;  Ward,  in 
1842 ;  Meath,  in  1845.  Charles  Foster  settled 
on  S.  W.  i  S.  34,  in  1848.  Bela  and  William 
Bo  wen,    from  New   York  in  1849. 

But  the  building  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads  inaugurated 
the  germs  of  the  city  of  Mendota— and  soon  fiUed 


Sketcli  of  Settlers  —  Mendota.  479 


the  town  with  a  busy  population.  It  was  known  as 
early  as  the  spring  of  1853  where  the  junction  of  the 
two  roads  would  be,  and  D.  D.  Giles  erected  a  store, 
and  others  followed  in  quick  succession.  T.  B. 
Blackstone,  resident  engineer  on  the  railroad,  laid  off 
the  original  town  of  Mendota.  The  place  was  fa- 
miliarly called  the  Junction,  but  as  the  railroad 
stations  located  on  new  territory  that  were  nameless 
were  given  Indian  names,  this  name  was  changed  to 
Mendota,  which  is  the  Indian  name  for  junction — 
meaning  meeting,  or  coming  together.  O.  N.  Adams 
suggested  the  name,  perhaps  from  his  being  the 
owner  of  the  Mendota  Furnace,  near  Gfalena.  The 
Central  road  was  completed  to  this  place  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1853,  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
in  November  following.  The  latter  road  was  built 
in  sections  ;  first,  the  Military  Tract  and  Galesburg, 
Galesburg  to  Mendota,  and  then  the  Aurora  Exten- 
sion, connecting  with  the  Northwestern  at  Turner 
Junction. 

The  increase  of  population  and  building  up  of  the 
town  was  very  rapid,  so  that  in  1855,  less  than  two 
years  from  the  completion  of  the  railroad.  Town 
Trustees  were  chosen  and  a  municipal  government 
organized.  The  village  limits  were  the  lines  of  S.  33. 
There  have  been  several  additions  since.  March  4, 
1867,  a  city  government  was  organized,  and  city 
officers  chosen  on  the  9th  of  April  following.  The 
growth  of  Mendota  has  been  constant  and  rapid,  and 
it  is  destined  to  be  a  city  of  no  mean  proportions. 
The  enterprise  and  intelligence  of  the  people  is 
shown  by  their  admirable  schools  and  institutions  of 


480  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

learning,   churches,  manufactures  and  trade  shown 
elsewhere. 


HOPE. 


The  town  of  Hope  is  Township  31,  Range  1.  It  is 
the  southwestern  town  in  the  body  of  the  county — 
is  all  prairie,  and  was  entirely  neglected  by  the  early 
settlers.  Its  northern  portion  forms  part  of  the 
divide  which  separates  the  waters  which  flow  north- 
erly to  the  Vermillion  and  Illinois  and  those  that 
flow  west  and  southwest  to  the  Illinois. 

The  head  of  Bailey' s  creek  drains  the  northeast- 
ern portion  of  its  surface,  which  runs  to  the  Ver- 
million, but  the  larger  portion  is  drained  by  the 
north  branch  of  Sandy  creek  and  its  affluents, 
called  Little  Sandy,  which  runs  west  and  southwest 
and  empties  into  the  Illinois  near  Henry. 

Samuel  D.  McCaleb,  from  Rockbridge  County, 
Virginia,  and  his  wife,  Catharine  Wood,  from  Ma- 
son County,  Kentucky,  settled  on  Ox  Bow  Prairie, 
Putnam  County,  in  August,  1832,  where  Samuel  D. 
died  in  September,  1839.  His  widow  moved  to  S.  i 
S.  9,  town  of  Hope,  with  her  family  of  five  boys  and 
one  girl,  in  April,  1850.  She  is  now  living  in 
Lostant.  Her  children  are:  Albert  G.,  in  Lostant ; 
Gilbert  B.,  Lostant;  Herbert  C,  Wenona  ;  Ethel- 
red  A.,  Missouri ;  and  Hubert  A.,  in  Ottawa  ;  the 
sister  is  now  dead. 

Hubert  A.  McCaleb  held  the  following  positions 
in  the  army :  Sergeant   Company  I,    Eleventh  111. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Meriden.  481 

Infantry,  Second  Lieutenant  and  First  Lieutenant 
same  company,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Sixth  U.  S.  C. 
Artillery,  Colonel  same  regiment.  Sheriff  LaSalle 
County  from  1866  to  1868,  and  County  Clerk  from 
1873  to  1877. 

John  M.  Richey,  from  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
came  to  Putnam  County  in  1837.  He  entered  S.  24 
in  Hope,  in  1849,  on  which  he  resided  till  his  death 
in  18T5.  The  village  of  Lostant  was  laid  out  on  Mr. 
Richey's  farm  in  1861.  He  married  Clara  C.  Col- 
lister,  and  left  three  living  children  :  Mary  C,  Can- 
dace  M.,  and  John  C. 

Horace  Graves,  and  William  H.  Graves,  came  to 
Putnam  County  in  1829  and  1830,  and  were  early 
settlers  in  Hope. 

John  Morrison,  a  native  of  Scotland,  came  to 
Hope  in  1850  ;  has  been  Supervisor  eight  terms. 

The  Rev.  A.  Osgood,  and  family,  were  early  set- 
tlers, and  aided  efficiently  in  building  up  the  town. 

William  Lancaster  settled  at  an  early  day  on  the 
Magnolia  road,  that  runs  through  the  town ;  he 
served  as  Town  Supervisor. 

Thomas  Patterson,  from  Kentucky,  owned  a  farm, 
and  built  a  house,  called  the  Prospect  House,  at  an 
early  day,  about  the  first  in  the  town. 


MERIDEN. 


Township  36,  Range  2,  constitutes  the  town  of 
Meriden.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  north 
line  of  the  county,   and  is  a  prairie  region,  sur- 


482  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

rounded  by  prairie  on  all  sides  except  a  small  grove 
on  Sees.  5  and  6,  called  Four-Mile  Grove.  Afew  fam- 
ilies pitched  their  tents  around  the  little  oasis  in  the 
middle  of  the  wide  prairie,  in  the  year  1836,  and 
these  were  all  the  early  settlers. 

John  Haight  settled  on  Webster' s  farm  near  Peru, 
first,  and  came  to  Meriden  in  1836. 

David  Peck,  from  Albany  County,  N.Y.,  settled 
on  Sec.  6,  in  1836  ;  sold  to  Cunningham. 

Lyman  Alger,  from  the  same  place,  in  1836  ;  sold 
to  Mclntyre. 

O.  W.  Bryant  came  from  Maine  to  Peru,  in  1837, 
and  to  Meriden  in  1842. 

Benjamin  Furman  came  from  Tioga  County,  Pa.  ; 
settled  on  S.  6,  in  1838. 

Greorge  Wilkinson,  from  the  same  place,  settled  on 
the  same  Section  at  the  same  time. 

Benjamin  Birdsall  came  from  New  York,  in  1839. 

E.  R.  Wicks  settled  on  S.  18,  in  1848. 

David  Holden  settled  on  the  same  Section  in  1849. 

Ira  Bailey  came  in  1848. 

John  Rose,  from  Scotland,  James  Cunningham, 
Hiram  Cristler,  John  "Weisner,  Thomas  Eager  and  a 
few  others  constituted  the  pioneer  force  that  com- 
menced the  task  of  transforming  the  wild  prairie 
town  into  productive  farms  and  the  quiet  pleasant 
abode  of  a  numerous,  wealthy  and  prosperous 
people — a  task  that  with  the  aid  of  succeeding 
emigrants  has  been  most  successfully  accomplished. 


Sketch  of  Settlers  —  Wallace.  483 

WALLACE. 

Wallace  embraces  the  west  part  of  Township  34, 
Range  3,  being  four  and  one-half  miles  in  width 
from  east  to  west.  Until  a  few  years  since  it  was  a 
part  of  Dayton,  and  being  nearly  all  prairie  it 
remained  unoccupied  excepting  a  few  settlers  on  its 
southern  border  until  the  impetus  given  by  the 
completion  of  the  canal  and  railroads  sent  the  pop- 
ulation over  all  the  prairie.  Its  proximity  to 
Ottawa  and  Dayton  made  its  settlement  a  mild 
experience  compared  with  the  more  secluded 
sections. 

Thomas  Robinson  came  in  1838 ;  Mr.  Cavanaugh 
and  E.  W.  Curtis,  in  1847  or  48  ;  A.  P.  Hosford,  Seth 
Sage,  R.  O.  Black  and  a  few  others,  were  the  earliest 
residents. 


484  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

ADDENDA  —  OTTAWA. 

John  Manley,  from  Clinton  County,  X.  Y.,  settled 
in  Ottawa  in  1837 ;  has  kept  a  hardware  store  either 
alone  or  with  a  partner,  for  nearly  forty  years, 
probably  the  oldest  house  in  town.  A  daughter, 
who  had  just  completed  her  education,  was  drowned 
in  the  Hudson  river.  A  younger  daughter  is  the 
wife  of  Richard  C.  Jordan,  cashier  of  the  City  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Ottawa.     Carrie  is  at  home. 

Peter  Russel,  from  Ireland,  came  to  Ottawa  in 
1838  ;  a  cabinet-maker ;  his  has  been  the  leading 
house  in  that  branch  in  Ottawa  for  many  years.  His 
son  is  now  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  P.  Russell  &  Son. 

William  Palmer  came  from  New  York  in  1836  ;  a 
wagon  maker  b}^  trade ;  he  has  followed  the  busi- 
ness since  he  came  till  1875 ;  he  has  left  the  county. 

John  Palmer,  brother  to  William,  came  at  the 
same  time  ;  settled  on  a  farm  ;  afterwards  moved  to 
Ottawa ;  was  County  Assessor,  and  the  first  that 
assessed  the  land  sold  by  the  Government,  being  five 
years  after  the  sale  :  he  died  in  Ottawa,  John  and 
George  Armour  from  Ayreshire,  Scotland,  came  to 
Ottawa  in  1884.  After  a  few  years  residence  in  Ot- 
tawa, George  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  still  resides. 
John  was  a  prominent  warehouse  owner  and  grain 
dealer  till  his  death,  several  years  since  ;  he  never 
married.  James  and  Archie,  brothers  of  the  above, 
came  later.  James  died  in  La  Salle  ;  Archie  is  still 
living  in  Ottawa. 

Martin  Murra}',  from  Ireland,  came  about  1838  or 
9 ;  he  was  familiarly  known  as  Janitor  of  the  court- 


Addenda  —  Ottaioa.  485 

house  for  many  years.  His  son  John  is  well  known 
in  Ottawa. 

Dick  Daily  came  from  Cork  County,  Ireland,  to 
La  Salle  County  in  1839  ;  married  Sarah  Ann  Mc- 
Cormick  ;  has  served  as  Constable  many  years. 

Jacob  C.  Van  Doren,  from  Montgomery  County, 
N.  Y.,  came  in  1838 ;  settled  on  S.  28,  T.  32,  R.  3  ; 
about  1855  he  removed  to  Ottawa,  where  he  and  his 
wife  died  some  years  after.  His  eldest  son,  C.  M., 
came  before  the  family  ;  he  also  removed  to  Ottawa 
and  is  now  in  Washington  Territory.  James  married 
Olive  Dimmick,  and  died  in  Ottawa  about  1874.  The 
only  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Jesse  Dickey  in  Ottawa; 
Lansing  and  Lucas  have  left  the  county. 

Albert  H.  Ebersol  came  from  Dauphin  County, Pa., 
to  Grand  Rapids,  with  his  father,  Joseph  Ebersol ; 
married  Miss  Celia  Pearre  ;  has  one  son,  Joseph  P. ; 
he  is  now  the  oldest  settler  in  Grand  Rapids. 


CATALOGUE  OF  THE  PHAEXOGAMIA  OF  FLOW- 
ERING PLAXTS  OF  LA  SALLE  COUNTY. 


BY   K.    WILLIAMS. 


In  a  botanical  point  of  view,  the  surface  of  the  county  may  be 
conveniently  divided  into  four  habitats  or  districts,  each  having  a 
flora  peculiar,  in  part,  to  itself :  1,  the  prairie  or  treeless  district, 
the  soil  a  deep  black  loam ;  2,  the  belts  of  wooded  upland,  border- 
ing the  river  valleys,  having  for  the  most  part  a  clay  soil ;  3,  the 
alluvial  bottoms  and  islands  of  the  Illinois  and  YermiUion  rivers  ; 
4,  that  part  of  the  Illinois  River  Valley  characterized  by  the  up- 
heaval of  the  Silurian  formation,  and  lying  principally  between 
the  cities  of  Ottawa  and  La  Salle.  A  glance  at  this  varied  surface, 
ranging  in  the  quality  of  its  soil  from  a  deep  alluvium  to  a  barren 
sand,  will  prepare  the  botanist  to  look  for  a  rich  flora,  and  he  will 
not  be  disappointed. 

Of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  orders  found  native  in  the 
Northern  United  States,  one  hundred  and  eleven  are  represented 
in  Illinois  by  one  thousand  and  fifty-two  different  species  ;  number 
of  Gramineae  or  true  grasses,  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  ;  of  forest 
trees  there  are  over  seventy  species,  including  thirteen  species  of 
oak  ;  there  are  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  species  of  Composite;  or 
compound  flowers,  including  twenty-three  species  of  Aster,  twenty 
of  Solidago  or  golden  rod,  and  fourteen  of  the  Helianthus  or  sun- 
flower. 

The  following  list  embraces  but  few  species  that  have  not  been 
personally  identified  bj*  the  writer  of  this  ai'ticle,  during  a  residence 
of  twenty  years  in  the  county.  Much  labor  has  been  bestowed  to 
make  it  as  complete  and  accurate  as  possible.  Correspondence  in 
regard  to  omissions  or  doubtful  points  in  nomenclature  is  invited. 

The  time  is  not  distant  when  many  of  the  species  here  enum- 

486 


Catalogue  of  Floioerim/  Plants.  487 

erated  will  not  be  found  in  the  county.     The  fringed  gentian,  for 
example,  is  becoming  every  year  less  common  in  our  pastures. 

The  herbariums  prepared  by  W.  W.  Calkins,  of  Chicago,  and  W. 
W.  Johnson,  of  Marseilles,  have  afforded  much  valuable  assistance 
in  the  preparation  of  this  list. 

Ranunculace^  —  Crowfoots. 


Clematis  Virginiana, 

Virgin's  Bower. 

"        Viorna. 

Anemone  nemorosa. 

Wind  Flower. 

"        Pensylvanica. 

"        thalictroides. 

"        cylindrica. 

Hepatica  triloba, 

Liverwort. 

"        acutiloba. 

Thalictrum  dioicum. 

Meadow  Rue. 

Ranunculus  reptans, 

Buttercups. 

"              acris. 

"              Purshii. 

"              aquatilis. 

"              abortivus. 

"              fascicularis. 

"             Pennsylvanicus. 

* '              multitidus. 

Caltha  palustris. 

Marsh  Marigold. 

Isopyrum  biternatum, 

False  Rue  Anemone 

Aquilegia  Canadensis, 

Columbine. 

Cimicifuga  racemosa, 

Black  Snakeroot. 

Act£Ea  spicata, 

Red  Baneberry. 

"      alba. 

Anonace^  — 

■  Anonads. 

Asimina  triloba. 

Papaw. 

Menispermace^  —  Menispermads. 
Menispermum  Canadense,  Moon-seed. 

Berberidace^e  —  Berberids. 

Berberis  Vulgaris  (Europe),  Berberry. 

Caulophyllum  thalictroides.  Cohosh. 

Podophyllum  peltalum,  "Wild  Mandrake. 

Nymph^ace/E  —  Water  Lilies. 

Nymphffia  odorata.  Water  Lily. 

Nuphar  advena,  Yellow  Pond  Lily. 

PAPAvERACEiE  —  Poppy-worts. 

Sanguinaria  Canadensis,  Blood-root. 

Chelidonium  majus  (Europe),  Celandine. 


488 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


FuMARiACE^  —  Fumewoi-ts. 


Dicentra  cucullaria, 
Corydalis  aurea, 
"         glauca. 
Adlumia  cirrhosa  (Canada), 


Dutchman's  Breeches. 
Golden  Corydalis. 


Mountain  Fringe. 


Crucifer^. 


Dentaria  laciniata, 
Cardamine  hirsuta, 
Arabis  Canadensis, 

"       la;vigata. 
Sesymbrium  officinale, 
Sinapis  nigra  (Europe), 

"     arvensis     " 

"     alba 
Draba  verna, 

"      Caroliniana. 
Armoracia  rusticana  (Europe), 
Camelina  sativa  " 

Capsella  Bursa-pastoris, 
Lepidium  Yirginicum, 
Raphanus  sativus  (Europe), 


Pepper-root. 
Bitter  Cress. 
Sickle  Pod. 

Hedge  Mustard. 
Black  Mustard. 
Field  Mustard. 
AYhite  Mustard. 
Whitlow  Grass. 

Horse  Radish. 
False  Flax. 
Shepherd's  Purse. 
Tongue  Grass. 
Radish. 


Capparidace^  —  Capparids. 
Polanisia  graveolens. 

V10LACE.E  —  Violets. 
Viola  cucullata. 
"      sagittata. 
"      lanceolata. 
"      delphinifolia. 
"      pedata. 
"      tricolor  (Europe),  Pansy. 

Hypericace.^:  —  St.  John's  worts. 

Hypericum  perforatum  (Europe). 
"  Canadense. 

CARYOPHYLLACE.i:  —  Pinkworts. 


Saponaria  officinalis  (Europe), 
Silene  stellata, 

•'      nivea. 
Agrostemma  Githago, 
Cerastium  vulgatum, 

"         nutans. 

"         oblongifolium. 
Stellaria  media, 

"       longifolia. 
Arenaria  lateriflora, 
MoUugo  verticillata, 


Bouncing  Bet. 
Stellate  Campion. 

Com  Cockle. 
Chickweed. 


Star  Chickweed. 

Sandwort. 
Carpet  Weed. 


Catalogue  of  Flowering  Plants.  489 


PoRTULACAC^E  —  Pui'slaues. 

Claytonia  Virgiiiica,  ISpring  Beauty. 
Talinum  teretifolium. 

Fortulaca  oleracea,  Purslane. 

"        grand iflora  (S.  America),  Portulaca. 

Malvace^  —  Mallows. 

Althaea  rosea  (Europe),  Hollyhock. 

Malva  sylvestris  (Europe),  High  Mallow. 

"      crisp  a. 

"      rotundifolia. 

"      triangulata. 
Abutilon  Avicenna?,  Indian  Mallow. 

Hibiscus  Moscheutos,  Marsh  Hibiscus. 

Linages  —  Flaxworts. 
Linum  ustatissimum  (introduced),  Flax. 

"      rigidum. 
"      Virginianum. 

TiLiACE^  —  Basswoods. 
Tilia  Americana. 

Geraniace.e  —  Gerania. 
Geranium  maculatum,  Spotted  Geranium. 

"  Robertianum,  Herb  Robert. 

"  Caroliuianum. 

Oxalidace.k  —  Sorrels. 

Oxalis  Acetosella,  Wood  Sorrel. 

"     violacea. 
"    strieta. 

Balsaminace^  —  Jewel  Weeds. 

Impatiens  pallida,  Touch-me-not. 

fulva. 

RuTACE.E  —  Rueworts. 
Xanthoxylum  Americanum,  Prickly  Ash. 

Ptelea  trifoliata,  Shrub  Trefoil. 

Anacaridace.e  —  Sumachs. 

Rhus  Toxicodendron,  Poison  Oak. 

"     radicans. 

Acerace/E  —  Maples. 

Acer  dasycarpum.  White  Maple. 

"    rubrum.  Swamp  Maple. 

"    saccharinum,  Sugar  Maple. 

"   PseudoPlatanus,  Sycamore. 

Negundo  aceroides,  Box  Elder. 
32 


490 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Sapindaceje  —  Indian  Soapworts. 

^sculus  glabra,  Ohio  Buckeye. 

Cardiospermum  Haliacabum,  Balloon  Vine. 

Staphjdea  trifolia,  Bladder  Xut. 

Celastrace^  —  Staff  Trees. 

Celastrus  scandens,  Staff  Tree. 

Euonymus  atropurpureus,  Burning  Bush. 

Rhamnace^  —  Buckthorns. 

Ceanothus  Americanus,  Jersey  Tea. 

ViTACE^  —  Vines. 

Vitis  aestivalis,  Summer  Grape. 

"     vulpina  (introduced),  Fox  Grape. 

Ampelopsis  quinquefolia,  Virginia  Creeper. 

POLYGALACE.E  —  Milkworts. 

Polygala  Senega,  Seneca  Snake-root. 

"        polj'gama. 
"        sanguinea. 
"        verticillata. 


Legcmings.e  ■ 

Desmanthus  brachylobus. 
Gleditschia  triacanthus, 
Cassia  Chamiecrista, 

"      Marilandica, 
Cercis  Canadensis, 
Baptisia  leucophiea, 
"      leucautba. 
Lathyrus  palustris. 
"        venosus. 
Vicia  Americana, 
"     Caroliniana. 
"     sativa. 
Desmodium  acuminatum, 
"  Dellenii. 

"  cuspidatum. 

"  rigidum. 

"  Cauadense, 

Lupinus  perennis, 
Gymnocladus  Canadensis, 
Trifolium  procumbens, 
"         repens, 
"         pratense, 
"         stolouiferum, 
Melilotus  alba  (Europe), 
Psoralea  floribunda. 
Amorpha  fruticosa, 
"        canescens. 


Leguminous  Plants. 

Honey  Locust. 
Sensitive  Pea. 
American  Senua. 
Red  Bud. 
Wild  Indigo. 


Vetch. 


Bush  Trefoil. 


Lupine. 
Coffee  Tree. 
Yellow  Clover. 
White  Clover. 
Red  Clover. 
Buffalo  Clover. 
Sweet-scented  Clover. 

Lead  Plant. 
"  Shoestring." 


Ccitalogue  of  Flowering  Plants. 


491 


Dalea  alopecuroides. 
Petalostemon  candidum, 

"  violaceum. 

Astragalus  Canadensis, 

"       Plattensis. 
Pliaca  astragalina. 
Tephrosia  Virginiana, 
Robinia  Pseudacacia, 
Apios  tuberosa. 
Phaseolus  perennis, 

Cerasus  serotina, 
"        Virginiana, 
"        Pennsjdvauica, 
"        vulgaris  (Europe), 
Prunus  Americana, 
Amelancliier  Canadensis, 
Cratregus  cocciaea. 

"         tomentosa, 
Pi'rus  coronaria, 
Rosa  setigera, 
"    blanda. 
"     lucida, 
"     Carolina, 

"    rubiginosa  (introduced), 
Agrimonia  Eupatoria, 
"  parviflora. 

Geum  vernum, 

"      Virginianum. 
Rubus  villosus, 
"      Canadensis, 
"      occidentalis, 
Fragaria  Virginiana, 
Potentilla  Norvegica, 
•'         Canadensis, 
"         fruticosa. 
"  arguta. 

Spiraea  lobata, 

"       salicifolia, 
Gillenia  stipulacea, 


Rosacea. 


Thimble  Weed. 
Milk  Vetch. 


Goat's  Rue. 
Locust. 

Wild  Bean  Viae. 

Black  Cherry. 
Choke  Cherry, 
Red  Cherry. 
Morel lo  Cherry. 
Red  Plum. 
Shad  Flower. 

Thorn. 

Wild  Crab  Apple. 

Wild  Rose. 

Shining  Rose. 

Eglantine. 
Agrimony. 

Avens. 

High  Blackberry. 
Dewberry. 
Black  Raspberry. 
Strawberry. 
Cinquefoil. 
Five  Finger. 


Queen  of  the  Prairie. 
Meadow  Sweet. 
Bowman's  Root. 


Ly thrum  alatum, 


(Enothera  biennis, 
"  fruticosa 

Gaura  biennis. 

"      filipes. 
Ludwigia  palustris, 
Circase  Lutetiana, 


Lythrace.e  —  Loosestrifes. 

Loosestrife. 
ONAGRACE.a!  —  Onagrads. 

Evening  Primrose. 


Bastard  Loosestrife. 
Enchanter's  Nightshade. 


492  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Cactace^  —  Indian  Figs. 
Opuntia  vulgaris,  Prickly  Pear. 

Ckassulace^. 

Seclum  Telephium,  Orpine. 

"      ternatum. 
Pentliorum  sedoides,  Virginia  Stone-crop. 

CUCURBITACE^. 

Sicyos  angulatus,  Single  Seed  Cucumber. 

Gkossulace^  —  Currants. 

Ribes  rotundifolium,  Swamp  Gooseberrj'. 

"      floridum,  Wild  Black  Curraut. 

Saxipragace^  —  Saxifrages. 

Saxifraga  Pennsylvanica. 

"         oppositifolia. 
Henchera  Americana,  Alum  Root. 

"  Richardsonii. 

Mitella  diphylla,  Mitrewort. 

Hydrangea  arborescens,  Wild  Hydrangea. 

Chrysosplenium  Americanum,  Water  Carpet. 

Hamamelace.^. 
Hamamelis  Virginiana,  Witch  Hazel. 

Umbellifer^  —  Umbelworts. 

Sanicula  Marilaudica,  Sanicle. 

Eryngium  yuccasfolium,  Rattlesnake  jMaster. 

Pastinaca  sativa,  Parsnip. 

Thaspium  aureum.  Golden  Alexander. 
Zizia  integerrima,  "  " 

Cicuta  maculata,  Water  Hemlock. 

Cryptotasuia  Canadensis,  Honewort. 

Slum  latifoliuui,  Water  Parsnip. 

Erigenia  bulbosa,  Pepper  and  Salt. 

Araliace^  —  Araliads. 

Aralia  nudicaulis.  Wild  Sarsaparilla. 

"       racemosa,  Spikenard. 

Panax  trifolium,  Dwarf  Ginseng. 

CORNACE^. 

Cornus  paniculata,  Dogwood. 

"      sericea. 
"      florida. 

Caprifoliace^. 

Triosetum  perfoliatum,  Feverwort. 

Lonicera  flava,  Wild  Honeysuckle. 

"        parviflora. 


Catalogue  of  Flowering  Plants. 


493 


Lonicera  sempervirens  (introduced). 

Sambucus  Canadensis, 
"         pubens. 

Viburnum  Opulus  (introduced), 
"  prunifolium, 

"         roseum  (introduced), 


Elder. 

High  Cranberry. 
Blacl\  Haw. 
Snow  Ball. 


Galium  Aparine, 

' '       trifidum. 

"      tritlorum. 

"      asprellum. 
Diodia  Yirginiana. 
Cepbalanthus  occidentalis, 
Houstonia  coerulea, 


RuBiACE^E  —  Madderworts. 
Cleavers. 


Button  Bush. 
Bluets. 


Valerianace^. 
Valeriana  ciliata. 
Valerianella  umbilicata,  Lamb's  Lettuce. 

CoMPOSiT.^  —  Asterworts. 


Vernonia  fasciculata, 

Iron  Weed. 

Liatris  cylindracea. 

"     squarrosa, 

Blazing  Star. 

"      spicata. 

"      pycnostachj'a. 

Eupatorium  purpureum. 

"            perfoliatum, 

Boneset. 

' '            serotinum . 

"            ageratoides, 

White  Snake  Root. 

"            altissimum. 

Achillea  Millefolium, 

Yarrow. 

Aster  corymbosus, 

Aster. 

"      cordifolius. 

"      sagittifolius. 

"      patens. 

' '      Novo?  Anglise. 

"      sericeus. 

"      tenuifolius. 

"      undulatus. 

"      lisvis. 

"      mutabilis. 

Deplopappus  linariifolius. 

Erigeron  Canadense, 

Flea  Bane. 

"        Philadelphicum. 

'■        strigosum. 

"        bellidifolium, 

Robin's  Plantain. 

"        heterophyllum. 

"        anniium, 

White  Weed. 

Solidago  tenuifolia, 

Goldenrod. 

"  ^      latifolia. 

K 

494 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Solidago  lanceolata. 
"        Missouriensis. 
"        Canadensis. 
"        altissima. 
"        rigida. 
Inula  Heleuium,  (introduced), 
Polymnia  Canadensis, 
Silphium  laciniatum, 

"        terebinthiuaceum, 
"        integrifolium. 
"        perfoliatum, 
Parthenium  integrifolum. 
Ambrosia  artemisitcfolia, 

trfida, 
Xanthiuni  Slrumarium, 
Heliopsis  Isevis, 
Ecliinacea  purpurea, 

"  angustifolia. 

Rudbeckia  hirta, 

"         subtomentosa. 
Lepacliys  pinnata. 
Helianttius,  anauus  (S.  America), 
"  rigidus. 

"  tomeutosus. 

"  angustifolius. 

"  tuberosus. 

"  mollis. 

"  occidentalis. 

Coreopsis  liuctoria  (introduced), 
"         discoidea. 
"         tripteris. 
"         trichosperma. 
Bideus   bipinuata. 
*'        frondosa. 
"        connata. 
"        chrysanthemoides. 
Senecio  aureus, 

"        vulgaris, 
Hymenopappus  scabiosseus, 
Cacalia  atriplicifolia. 

"      tuberosa. 
Helenium  autumnale, 
Artemisia  biennis, 
"        vulgari?. 
Manila  cotula, 

Tanacetum  vulgare  (introduced), 
Gnaphalium  uligiuosum, 
"  decurrens. 

"  polycephalum. 

Antennaria  plantaginifolia, 
"  margariticea. 


Elecampane. 
Leaf  Cup. 
Polar  Plant 
Prairie  Burdock. 

Cup-plant. 

Hog-weed. 

Horse-weed. 

Clot-weed. 

Ox-eye. 

Purple  Cone-flower. 

Cone-flower. 


Sunflower. 


Tick-seed. 


Senecio. 
Groundsel. 


Sneezewort. 
Mugwort. 

Mayweed. 

Tansy. 

Cudweed. 


Everlasting. 


Catalogue  of  Flowering  Plants. 


495 


Fire-weed. 
Common  Thistle. 
Canada  Thistle. 

Burdock. 

Succory. 

Dwarf  Dandelion. 

Hawkweed. 


Erechtites  hieracifolius, 
Cirsium  lanceolatum, 
"        arvense, 
"        altissimum. 
Lappa  major, 

Cichorium  intybus  (Europe), 
Krigia  Virginica, 
Cynthia  Virginica. 
Hieracium  Caoadense, 

"  Gronovii. 

"  longipilum. 

Nabalus  albus, 

"      racemosus. 

"       crepidineus. 

"       asper. 
Taraxacum  Dens-Leonis  (Europe), 
Lactuca  elongata, 
Soachus  oleraceus  (introduced), 

LoBEiJACEvE  —  Lobeliads. 

Lobelia  cardinalis.  Cardinal  Flower 

"        inflata,, 
"        sylphilitica, 
"        spicata. 

Campanulace^  —  Bellworts 

Campanula  rotuudifolia, 

"         apariuoides. 

"         Americana, 
Specularia  perfoliata. 


Drop  Flower. 


Dandelion. 
Trumpet  Milkweed. 
Sow  Thistle. 


Indian  Tobacco. 
Blue  Cardinal  Flower. 


Hare  Bell. 
Bell-flower. 


Ericace^. 


Gaylussacia  resinosa, 
Monotropa  uniflora, 


Huckleberry. 
Indian  Pipe. 


Aquifoliace^  —  Hollyworts. 
Prinos  verticillatus,  Black  Alder. 

Orobanchace^  —  Broomrapes. 
Aphyllon  uniflora. 

Primulace^e  —  Primworts. 

Androsace  occidentalis, 

Dodecatheon  Media,  American  Cowslip. 

Lysimachia  stricta,  Loose-strife. 

"  thyrsifolia. 

"  longifolia. 

"  ciliata. 

Centunculus  minimus.  False  Pimpernel. 

Plantaginace^  —  Ribworts. 


Plantago  major  (Europe), 
*'        lanceolata. 


Plantain. 


496 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Plantago  cordata. 
"        aristata. 


Lentibulace^. 

Bladderwort. 


Urticularia  vulgaris, 
"  minor. 

BiGNONACE^  —  Trumpet  Flowers. 

Tecoma  radicans. 

ScROPPiui.ARiACE^  — Figworts. 


Mullein. 
Toad  Flax. 
Figwort. 
Turtle  Head. 
Beard  Tongue. 


Innocence. 
Monkey  Flower. 


Speedwell. 

Yellow  Foxglove. 
Gerardia. 


Painted  Cap. 
Lousewort. 

Cow  Wheat. 


Verbascum  thapsus  (Europe), 
Linaria  vulgaris  " 

Scrophularia  nodosa, 
Chelone  glabra, 
Pentstemon  gracilis, 
"  digitalis. 

Collinsia  verna, 
Mimulus  ringens, 

"        alatus. 
Conobea  multifida. 
Veronica  Virgiuica, 

"        scutellata. 
Dasystoma  flava, 
Gerardia  purpurea, 

"        tenui  folia. 

"        setacea. 
Castilleja  coccinea, 
Pedicularis  Canadensis, 

"  lanceolata. 

Melampyrum  partense, 

AcANTHACE.E  —  Acanthads. 

Dipteracanthus  strepens. 

VfiRBENACE.E  —  Vervains. 

Verbena  angustifolia. 

"        liastata,  Common  Vervain. 

"        urticfefolia. 

"        stricta. 

"        bractiosa. 
Lippia  nodiflora,  Fog  Fruit. 

Pliryma  leptostachya,  Lop-seed. 

Labiates  —  Labiate  Plants. 

Teucrium  Canadense,  Germander. 

Isanthus  cceruleus,  False  Pennyroyal. 

Mentha  Canadensis,  Horsemint. 

"        viridis  (Europe). 

Lycopus  Europaeus,  Water  Hoarhound. 

Hedeoma  pulegioides,  American  Pennyroyal. 

Pyeuanthemum  linifolium.  Wild  Basil. 


Catalogue  of  Flowering  Plants. 


497 


Pycnanthemum  pilosum. 
Monarda  fistulosa, 
"        punctata, 
Lophanthus  scrophularifolius, 

"  nepetoides. 

Xepeta  cataria  (Europe), 
Brunella  vulgaris, 
Scutellaria  versicolor, 

"  can!  scens. 

"  parvula. 

"  galericulata. 

"  lateriflora. 

Physostegia  Virginiaua, 
Synandra  grandiflora. 
Galeopsis  tetrahit, 
Stachys  hyssopifolia, 

'•        palustris. 
Leonurus  Cardiaca  (Europe), 
Marrubiuni  vulgare        " 

BORRAGINACE^E  — 

Onosmodium  Carolinianum. 
Lithospermum  canescens, 

'•  hirtum. 

Mertensia  Virgiuica, 
Myosotis  stricta, 

"        casspitosa. 
Lycopsis  arvensis  (Europe), 
Echinospermum  Lappula, 
Cynoglossum  officinalis  (Europe). 

"  Virginicuin. 

Hydrophyllace.*; 

Hydrophyllum  appendiculatum, 
"  Virginicum. 

"  macropliyllum. 

Ellisia  Nyctehca. 

POLEMONIACE.E  - 

Phlox  acuminata, 

"      glaberrima. 

"      divaricata. 

"      pilosa. 

"      bifida. 
Polemonium  reptans, 

CoNVOLVUliACE^ 

Convolvulus  arvensis, 
Pbarbit  s  purpurea, 

Kil. 
Iporacea  panduratus, 
"       iacuuosa, 


Wild  Bergamot 

Hedge  Hyssop. 

Catnip. 
Blue  Curls. 
Skull-cap. 


Lion's  Heart. 

Hemp  Nettle. 
Hedge  Nettle. 

Motherwort. 
Hoarhound. 

Borrageworts. 
Puccoon. 

Smooth  Lungwort. 
Forget-me-not. 

Wild  Bugloss. 
Burr-seed. 
Hound's  Tongue. 


—  Hydrophylls. 
Water-leaf. 


Phlox  worts. 
Phlox. 


Greek  Valerian. 

Bindweeds. 

Bindweed. 
Morning  Glory. 

Wild  Potatoe. 
False  Bindweed. 


498  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Calystegia  spithmfeus. 

"  Sepium,  Eutland  Beauly. 

Cascuta  glonieiata,  Dodder. 

"     tenuifloi'a. 

SoLANACE^  —  Nightshades. 

Solanum  Dulcamara,  Bittersweet. 

nigrum  (Europe),  Black  Nightshade. 

Physalis  viseosa,  Ground  Cherrj'. 

Atropa  Belladonna  (Europe),  Deadly  Nightshade. 

Hyoscyamus  n\ger,  Henbane. 

Datura  stramonium  (Cent.  America),  Thorn  Apple. 

Gentian  ACE  JE  —  Gentianworts. 
Gentiana  quinqueflora. 

"        crinita.  Blue  Fringed  Gentian. 

"        Saponaria. 
*'         detonsa. 

"        Andrewsii,  Closed  Blue  Gentian, 

alba. 
Erythrsea  Centaurium. 

ApocrNACE^  —  Dog-banes. 

Apoeynum  androssemifolium. 
•     "  cannabinum. 

AscLEPiAPACEji  —  Asclepiads. 
Asclepias  cornuti.  Milkweed. 

"         phytolaccoides,  Poke  Silkweed. 

Asclepias  puipurascens. 

"         incaruata. 

"        tuberosa,  Butterfly  Weed. 

"        vertioillata. 
Acerates  viridiflora. 

Oleace^  —  Olives. 
Fraxinus  Americana,  White  Ash. 

quadrangulata,  Blue  Ash. 

"        sambucifolia.  Black  Ash. 

AsiSTOLOCHiACE^  —  Birthworts. 
Asarum  Canadense,  Wild  Ginger. 

Nyctiginace^  —  Marrelworts. 
Oxybaphus  nyctagineus.  Wild  Four-o'clock. 

PoLYGONACE.^  —  Sorrelworts. 

Rheum  Rhaponticum,  (Siberia.)  Rhubarb. 

Rumex  crispus,  Yellow  Dock. 

"      altissimus. 

"      Acetosella. 

"      verticillatus.  Water  Dock. 

"      obtusifolius. 


Catalogue  of  Flowering  Plants. 


4'J() 


Polygonum  aviculare, 

"  Pennsylvanicum, 

"  convolvulus, 

"  orientale  (Europe), 

"  Hydiopiper, 

"  amphibium. 

"  Persicaria. 


Birds  Knot  Grass. 
Knot  Grass. 

U  It 

Prince's  Feather. 
Water  Pepper. 


Phytolaccace^  . 
Poke. 


Phytolacca  decandra, 

ClIENOFODIACE^  —  GoOSC-fOOtS 

Chenopodium  hybridum. 
"  album, 

"  authelminticum, 

Amarantace.^  —  Amaranths 

Amaranthus  hypocoudriacus  (Mexico). 
"  retroflexus  (introduced). 

"  albus 


Pigweed. 
Wormseed. 


Sassafras  officinale. 


Comandra  umbellata, 


Dirca  palustris, 


Laurace^. 

Santalace^. 

Bastard  Toad  Flax. 

Thymelace^. 

Leather-wood. 


EUPHORBIACE^E. 


Euphorbia  Cyparissias  (Europe), 

"         corollata, 

"         prostrata. 

"         commutata. 

"         roliindifolia. 

"         hypericifolia. 

"         mercurialina. 

•'         maculata. 
Acalypha  Virginica, 
Ricinus  communis  (East  Indies), 


Cypress  Spurge. 
Flowering  Spurge. 


Three-seeded  Mercury. 
Castor  Oil  Plant. 


Ulmus  Americana, 
"     fulva, 


Ulmace.e  —  Elmworts. 

White  Elm. 
Slippery  Elm. 


ARTOCARPACEiE 

Morus  rubra, 

"      alba  (China), 
Madura  aurantiaca  (Arkansas), 


Artocarps. 

Red  Mulberry. 
White  Mulberry. 
Osage  Orange. 


500  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Urticace^  —  Nettleworts. 

Urtica  dioica,  Stinging  Nettle. 

"      procera.  ■ 

Humulus  lupulus,  Common  Hop. 

Cannabis  sativa  (India),  Hemp. 

Pilea  pumila,  Richvveed. 

Plantanace^  —  Sycamores. 

Platanus  occidentalis,  Buttonwood. 

Jdglandace^  —  Walnut. 

Juglans  cinerea,  Butternut. 

"       nigra,  Black  Walnut. 

Carya  glabra.  Pignut. 

"      alba,  Shagbark. 

Capulifer^  —  Mastworts. 

Quercus  imbricaria,  Laurel  Oak. 

"      ilicifolia,  Scrub  Oak. 

"      rubra,  Red  Oak. 

"      palustris,  Pin  Oak. 

"      alba,  White  Oak. 

"      macrocarpa,  Burr  Oak. 

"      castanea.  Chestnut  Oak. 

Corylus  Americana,  Hazel  Nut. 

Ostrya  Virginica,  Hop  Hornbeam. 

Carpinus  Americana,  Hornbeam. 

BETULACE2E  —  Birchworts. 

Alnus  serrulata.  Alder. 

Salicace^  —  Willows. 

Salix-tristis,  Sage  Willow. 
Mulenberghiana. 
"      eriocephala. 

"      vitellina,  Yellow  Willow. 

"      Babylonica  (Europe),  Weeping  Willow. 
"      longifolia. 

"      sericea,  Gray  Willow, 

Populus  tremuloides,  American  Aspen. 
"         grandidentata. 

"         candicaus  (introduced).  Balm  of  Gilead. 

"         dilatata,  Lombardy  Poplar, 

alba,  Silverleaf  Poplar. 

CoNiFERA/E  —  Conifer. 

Pinus  Strobus,  White  Pine. 

Abies  alba,  White  Spruce. 

"    excelsa  (Europe),  Norway  Spruce. 

Thuj  a  occidentalis,  Arbor  Vitse. 

Juniperus  Virginiana,  Red  Cedar. 


Catalogue  of  Floioering  Plants.  501 


Aracege  —  Aroids. 
Arissema  triphyllum,  Jack-in-the  pulpit. 

"        Dracontium. 
Calla  palustiis. 
Symplocarpus  fcetidus,  Skunk  Cabbage. 

Lemnace/E  —  Duckmeats. 
Lemna  minor. 

THYPHACE.a;  —  Typhads. 

Typha  latifolia,  Cat-tail. 

NiADACE^  —  Naiads. 

Potamogeton  natans.  Pond-Weed. 

"  hybrid  us. 

Alismace^  —  Water  Plantains. 

Alisma  plantago. 

Saggittaria  variabilis,  Arrow  Head. 

Scheuclizeria  palustris- 

Hydrochakidace.^  —  Frogbits. 

Anacharis  Canadensis. 

Orchidace.e  —  Orchids. 

Cypripedium  pubescens,  Ladies  Slipper. 

"  parviflorum,  Yellow  Slipper. 

"  spectabile,  Moccasin  Flower. 

"  candidum,  White  Ladies  Slipper. 

Orchis  spectabilis. 

Spiranthes  gracilis,  Ladies'  Tresses. 

Amaryllidace^  —  Amaryllids. 

Hypoxis  erecta,  Star-grass. 

Iridace^. 

Iris  versicolor,  Blue  Flag. 

Sisyrinchium  mucronatum.  Blue  eyed  Grass. 

Smilace^. 

Smilax  rotundifolia,  Green  Brier. 

"      quadrangularis. 

Trilliace^  —  Trilliads. 
Trillium  recurvatum,  Wake-robin. 

"       granditiorum.  White  Trillium. 

LiLiACE.E  —  Lilyworts. 

Erythronium  Americanum. 

"  albidum,  White  Erythronium. 

Lilium  Canadense,  Yellow  Lily. 

"      Philadelphicum,  Tiger  Lily. 

Scilla  esculent  a.  Quamash. 


502 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Garlic. 


True  Solomon's  Seal. 
Clustered  Solomon's  Seal. 

Two-leaved  Solomon's  Seal. 
Mealy  Bellwort. 


Allium  tricoccum, 
"      cernerum. 
"      striatum. 
Polygouatum  multifiorum, 
Smilacina  racemosa, 

stellata. 
Majanthemum  bifolium, 
Uvularia  per  foliata, 
"        grand  iflora. 

Melanthace^  —  Mel  ant  lis. 

Zigadenus  glaucus,  Zigadene. 

Melantliium  Virginicum. 

COMMELYNACE^. 

Tradescantia  Virginica. 

Xyridace.e. 
Xyris  Caroliniana,  Yellow-eyed  Grass. 

PONTEDERIACEiE . 

Pontederia  Cordata,  Pickerel  Weed. 


THE   GEOLOGICAL   FORMATIONS   OF   LA  SALLE 
COUNTY,  AND  THEIR  ORGANIC  REMAINS. 


BY  WILLIAM  WIRT   CALKINS. 


Of  the  tea  great  systems  at  present  recognized  by  geologists,  five 
are  wanting  in  ttiis  State.  These  are  :  The  Cretaceous,  Jurassic, 
Triassic,  Huronian,  Laurentian.  Of  the  other  five,  we  have  in  this 
county,  the  Quaternary  or  Post-Tertiary,  the  Carboniferous,  and 
the  Lower  Silurian  Formations.  It  thus  appears  that  we  have  in 
the  county  no  Tertiary  or  Devonian  deposits.  These  are  developed 
further  west  and  south. 

We  will  consider  each  of  our  three  great  divisions  seriatim. 

THE  QUATERNARY   SYSTEM. 

This  embraces  the  soils,  sands,  gravels,  clays,  and  other  deposits 
forming  the  surface  of  the  county,  and  varying  in  depth  from  a  few 
feet  to  perhaps  one  hundred  feet  in  certain  localities  on  the 
prairies.  This  Formation  nowhere  attains  a  thickness  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  as  estimated  by  Freeman. 

The  '■'Boulders'''  form  a  peculiar  feature  of  this  system,  and 
have  given  to  it  the  name  of  the  "  Boulder''  or  "Drift"  epoch, 
referring  to  the  manner  of  its  deposition.  These  boulders  are 
familiar  to  all  and  found-  throughout  the  entire  county,  though 
more  numerous  in  some  localities  than  others.  Col.  D.  F.  Hitt,  of 
South  Ottawa,  has  an  elegant  collection  of  them  on  exhibition, 
showing  the  useful,  scientific  and  ornamental  purposes  to  which 
they  may  be  put.  I  have  at  different  times  secured  from  the 
Colonel's  '■'fence''''  more  than  twenty  varieties  of  the  primitive 
rocks  containing  minerals  of  mica,  feldspar,  garnets,  copper,  etc. 
Large  deposits  of  boulders  occur  in  the  Illinois  Valley,  lying  in 
some  places  directly  upon  the  St.  Peters  Sandstone,  and  so  numer- 
ous and  closely  packed  as  to  exclude  everything  else.  A  good 
example  may  be  found  in  West  Ottawa,  near  D.  S.  Ebersol's   resi- 

503 


504  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


dence,  which  shows  their  deposition  to  bfe  conformable  to  the 
course  of  the  valley  and  the  direction  assumed  by  the  agencies 
that  brought  them  from  their  original  to  their  present  location. 
Lake  Superior  is  the  nearest  point  from  which  these  granite  rocks 
could  have  been  derived  ;  and  the  formation  there  which  outcrops 
at  the  surface,  is  here  buried  many  hundred  feet  below  and  beyond 
our  reach.  Ice  and  icebergs  moving  through  the  flood  of  waters 
coming  from  the  the  North,  brought  to  us  our  boulder  deposits. 
The  scratchings  and  groovings  found  on  many  of  them  are  suflicient 
evidence  without  examining  localities  where  the  formations  in 
place  during  the  Drift  epoch,  as  on  the  west  shores  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, show  the  same  erosions,  only  to  a  greater  extent.  The  area 
occupied  by  boulders  shows  that  the  great  lakes  once  covered  an 
immense  country,  and  gives  us  some  idea  of  the  Ice  period  when 
these  boulders  were  distributed.  During  the  geological  changes 
that  followed,  the  lakes  were  contracted,  but  the  Illinois  river  was 
for  a  time  an  immense  stream,  serving  as  an  outlet  for  vast  bodies 
of  water  that  afterwards  were  diverted  elsewhere.  We  can  safely 
assume  that  the  Illinois  river  once  flowed  from  bluff  to  bluft',  con- 
fined in  its  course  so  far  north  as  Joliet,  probably  becoming  at  that 
point  undistinguishable  from  the  vast  lakes  above.  The  fossil  re- 
mains found  in  the  Drift  are  of  course  accidental  and  derived  from 
other  formations.  Some  of  these  are  as  follows  :  a  Lithostrotlon, 
species  undetermined,  found  near  Caton's  spring  in  South  Ottawa. 
This  is  an  interesting  coral  and  belongs  to  the  Carboniferous  For- 
mation. Of  Urmtacea,  several  Trilobites  have  been  found  by  Mr. 
U.  Ellsworth,  in  Cl-irk's  Run  at  Vermillionville.  The  species  is 
common  to  the  Trenton  Group,  which  is  nearly  denuded  and 
approaches  the  surface  where  the  Drift  lies  immediately  upon  it  at 
this  point.  Fossilized  wood  is  frequently  found  in  digging  wells. 
In  the  more  recent  deposits  remains  of  the  Mastodon  have  been 
found  ;  also  species  of  land  and  fresh  water  shells  identical  with 
those  now  living  in  the  county.  The  banks  of  our  rivers  will  afford 
examples.  Of  valuable  minerals— copper,  lead  and  iron,  occur  in 
the  drift,  sometimes  in  quite  large  masses,  but  all  these  came  here 
with  the  boulders  and  by  the  same  agencies. 

THE   CARBONIFEROrS   FORSIATION. 

This  is  represented  by  the  Coal  measures  and  of  variable  thick- 
ness.    The  great  axis  of  upheaval  crossing  the   Illinois  Valley  at 


Geological  Formations^  etc.  505 

Split  Rock,  running  thence  in  the  direction  of  Deer  Park,  Big  Bend, 
and  Lowell,  has  a  direction  nearly  parallel  with  the  Big  Vermil- 
lion river,  and  the  Coal  measures  on  either  side  present  distinctly- 
marked  features  caused  by  the  commotions  of  the  period  when 
they  occurred.  The  thickness  of  the  C.)al  measures  west  of  the 
axis  at  La  Salle,  approximates  six  hundred  feet,  from  the  most 
reliable  figures  I  can  obtain.  In  this  locality  they  rest  upon  the 
Silurian  rocks.  Their  beds  of  coal  are  known  as  the  upper,  mid- 
dle and  lower,  and  some  claim  that  there  is  a  fourth  bed.  East 
of  the  great  axis  the  Coal  measures  thin  out,  only  one  bed  of  coal 
appearing  in  a  large  area  of  the  district.  But  there  are  two  veins 
in  Deer  Park  back  of  the  Fisliburu  place,  only  one,  however,  of 
sufficient  thickness  to  work,  which  is  done  mainly  by  stripping, 
though  the  main  one  was  once  worked  by  driving  a  shaft  into  the 
hillside.  This  was  done  by  my  father  some  years  ago.  On  a  recent 
examination  by  Col.  Hitt  and  myself  on  the  O'Connor  place,  we 
carefully  traced  the  deposits  from  the  edge  of  the  timber  down  the 
ravines  leading  to  the  Illinois  bottoms  where  these  deposits  rest  upon 
the  St.  Peters,  and  found  very  interesting  outcrops.  We  coul^l 
have  loaded  a  wagon  in  a  short  time  with  fossil  Lepidodendrons 
which  were  then  lying  exposed  in  the  ravines.  These  Coal  plants 
were  most  numerous  at  the  head  of  the  ravines  and  near  the 
surface. 

Freeman  remarks  (3  Ills.  Repts.),  that  with  one  exception,  only 
one  bed  of  coal  appears  east  of  the  anticlinal  axis,  which  he  says 
is  the  "lower  La  Salle  bed."  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case,  as 
recent  developments  show.  Neither  do  I  believe  that  all  the  beds 
referred  to  are  equivalents  of  the  La  Salle  lower  bed.  On  page  267, 
(3  Ills.  Repts.)  Freeman  says:  "Fossils  are  rare  in  this  county, 
associated  with  this  coal,  so  far  as  my  observations  extend."  He 
refers  to  the  "lower  bed."  And  the  fact  of  there  being  immense 
quantities  of  fossil  coal  plants  as  well  as  other  fossils,  found  east  of 
the  axis  as  stated  above,  would  warrant  the  conclusion  that  neither 
the  beds  of  the  Ottawa  and  Deer  Park  districts,  or  those  east  of  the 
Big  Vermillion,  are  in  reality  the  third  or  "lower  La  Salle  bed." 
For  additional  evidence,  I  may  say  that  I  have  myself  taken  out  at 
different  times  a  full  wagon  load  of  fossils  from  the  so-called 
"  lower  beds,"  east  of  the  Vermillion,  in  the  vicinity  of  Lowell  and 
above,  so  far  as  Kirkpatrick's  Mines.  These  latter  are  undoubtedly 
upper  beds,  and  the  same  is  true  of  those  at  Clark's  Run,  which  ac- 
33 


606  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


cording  to  Freeman  are  "  lower  beds."  Much  confusion  has  been 
caused  by  the  diversity  of  ideas  about  our  coal  strata,  and  the  un- 
satisfactory conclusions  of  the  State  Report.  We  can  determine 
certainly  that  where  the  coal  rests  upon  St.  Peters,  as  at  Ottawa, 
it  is  a  lower  bed  and  the  lowest  in  the  Stale. 

The  immense  coal  mining  operations  now  carried  on  all  over  the 
district  will  afford  excellent  opportunities  for  studying  our  coal 
strata,  which  should  be  improved.  The  Cannel  coals  on  the  Vermil- 
lion also  deserve  attention.  Only  the  Coal  Measures  Group  of  the 
Carboniferous  System  is  developed  in  the  county. 

The  Subcarbouiferous  does  not  appear  at  all,  hence  the  absence 
of  crinoidal  forms  in  the  abundance  represented  elsewhere.  The 
Group  is  however  proline  iu  numerous  organic  remains,  both  animal 
and  vegetable.  A  list  of  these  appears  elsewhere.  The  coal  beds, 
shales,  clays,  sandstones  and  limestones,  of  this  Group,  show  good 
outci'ops,  and  I  know  of  no  section  where  better  opporturuties  are 
afforded  for  investigation.  The  Blufls  of  the  Big  and  Little  Ver- 
million are  good  localities  for  obtaining  fossil  shells,  while  the  coal 
jnines  swarm  with  various  types  of  past  vegetable  life. 

From  the  city  of  Streator  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Vermillion,  all 
on  the  line  of  the  great  axis,  there  will  be  found  a  greater  represen- 
tation of  fossil  species  than  elsewhere,  owing  to  the  upheaval.  In 
the  banks  and  bed  of  the  Vermillion  occur  many  fine  septaria  or 
turtle-stones.  These  assume  vaiious  fantastic  forms,  and  sometimes 
contain  shells.  Mr.  Hurd,  of  Lowell,  exhibited  one  to  me  before 
the  war,  in  which  was  a  perfect  Nautilus.  They  are,  of  course, 
referable  to  the  Carboniferous  era.  A  good  story  is  told  of  a  cer- 
tain reverend  gentleman,  (who  was  also  a  lover  of  science,)  and  his 
studies  of  turtle-stones.  Having  resolved  to  investigate,  he  exhumed 
a  large  one  after  much  labor  and  expense,  from  the  bluff  at  Lowell. 
This  was  carefully  transferred  to  his  home  in  Tonica  and  scientifi- 
cally set  up  in  the  front  yard.  The  gentleman  labelled  it  Cetacea 
or  Whale-fossil.  It  was  a  big  one,  though  not  of  the  species  he  suii- 
posed.  I  traveled  on  foot  six  miles  to  see  the  wonderful  whale,  and 
still  had  my  doubts. 

THE   SILURIAN   FORMATION. 

The  divisions  proper  are  "Upper"  and  "Lower."  Only  the 
latter  outcrops  in  La  Salle  Count3^  The  Groups  or  Subdivisions 
exposed   are  :    the  Trenton,  the  Calciferous,  and   the  St.  Feters. 


Geological  Formations^  etc.  507 

The  first  contains  numerous  fossils  of  great  interest,  and  is  well  ex- 
posed in  various  parts  of  the  county.  The  Homer  beds  are  Trenton 
and  regarded  by  Freeman  as  local,  being  left  after  the  denudation 
of  the  drift  movement.  1  do  not,  however,  concur  in  this  view,  but 
regard  the  deposit  as  extensive,  extending  south,  east,  and  north- 
west, though  only  slightly  exposed  on  the  Little  Vermillion  at 
other  points.  The  Trenton  also  appears  near  the  railroad  tunnel 
below  Utica,  and  wTthin  the  city  limits  of  Ottawa,  where  it  is 
quarried  for  building  purposes.  The  McPherson  and  Reddick 
Quarries,  west  of  town,  are  Trenton,  as  shown  by  the  fossils  ;  and 
resting  upon  St.  Peters  at  this  point  in  more  than  usually  heavy 
masses,  it  seems  to  fill  a  depression  or  gap  left  in  the  underlying 
rock.  It  appears  on  the  Fox  river  at  difl'erent  points,  but  generally 
thin  bedded,  silicious  in  character,  and  the  fossils  hard  to  obtain 
perfect.  South  of  the  Illinois  good  outcrops  are  seen  on  Covel 
creek  resting  on  St.  Peters  sandstone.  These  finally  disappear 
beneath  the  Coal  measures  in  the  bluffs.  The  thickness  is  from 
twenty  to  forty  feet.  Some  very  fine  fossils  have  been  obtained 
here. 

On  the  Big  Vermillion  the  Trenton  appears  at  Deer  Park  abrupt- 
ly upheaved  against  the  St.  Peters,  affording  a  fine  opportunity  to 
study  the  two  groups.  Thickness,  ninety  feet.  Above  Deer  Park 
there  are  exposures  at  several  points  :  at  Big  Bend,  Clark's  Ford, 
Lowell,  and  Eaton's  Mill.  At  the  latter  points  the  development  is 
unusually  large.  The  thickness  here  is  one  hundred  and  seventy 
feet,  according  to  the  boring  at  the  petroleum  well.  It  forms  the 
bed  of  the  river,  and  contains  many  fossils.  Above  the  dam  at 
Eaton's,  when  the  river  is  low,  there  is  shown  a  regular  coral  reef 
of  the  Silurian  era.  Pieces  of  this  coral  are  circulated  locally  as 
'petrified  honey-comb.  The  Calciferous  Group  of  the  Potsdam 
period  is  developed  at  Utica,  and  known  as  the  cement  rock.  It  is 
the  only  outcrop  in  the  State,  and  covers  an  area  of  a  few  square 
miles  north  of  the  Illinois  river,  but  on  the  south  side  disappears 
beneath  the  St.  Peters.  So  far  as  I  know  no  fossils  have  been 
found  in  this  rock. 

The  St.  Peters  Sandstone  Group  is  familiar  to  all.  It  outcrops 
at  Ottawa,  Buffalo  Rock,  Split  Rock,  Deer  Park,  Starved  Rock,  etc., 
covers  one-third  of  the  couuty,  and  is  of  great  thickness — from 
161  feet  at  Ottawa  to   600  on  the  Vermillion,    as  determined  by 


508  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

borings.  North  of  the  Illinois  river  it  thins  out  towards  the  west, 
near  Utica,  where  its  junction  with  the  Calciferous  may  be  seen. 
I  have  now  given  a  sketch  of  all  the  geological  formations  de- 
veloped in  La  Salle  County,  without  enlarging  upon  the  peculiar 
features  of  any,  which  would  be  desirable  if  space  permitted.  I 
can  not,  however,  leave  the  subject  without  referring  to  one  or  two 
points  of  particular  interest.  Near  the  railroad  tunnel  in  the  Illi- 
nois Valley,  and  west  of  Utica,  may  be  seen  within  a  short  distance, 
outcrops  of  four  different  formations  :  the  Coal  Measures,  Trenton 
Group,  St.  Peters,  and  the  Calciferous.  Here  will  also  be  noticed 
immense  detached  masses  of  rock  scattered  around  in  the  valley. 
This  is  opposite  Little  Rock,  and  all  on  the  line  of  upheaval.  The 
evidence  presented  shows  that  along  tbe  great  axis  powerful 
convulsions  occurred  at  some  former  period,  resulting  in  the  juxta- 
position of  the  formations  mentioned  above.  Portions  of  the 
Carboniferous  and  Trenton  east  of  the  axis  were  swept  away.  The 
strata  on  the  west  suffered  a  sinking  process,  and  a  strong  dip  to  the 
southwest,  in  some  places  fifty  degrees.  At  the  same  time  a  cor- 
responding dip  occurred  east  of  the  axis.  The  coal  shafts  at  Little 
Rock  also  show  a  displacement  of  the  strata  there.  To  a  person 
familiar  with  geology  the  question  will  arise,  as  he  looks  over  the 
ground  and  the  facts  presented,  whether  or  not,  there  once  existed 
here  an  immense  wall  of  rock,  extending  from  Little  Rock  to  Split 
Rock,  on  the  opposite  side,  and  forming  a  cataract  far  excelling 
Niagara  in  size  and  grandeur.  I  have  no  doubt  of  it  myself,  though 
positive  proof  is  wanting. 

THE   ORGANIC  REMAINS   OF  LA  SALLE   COUNTY. 

These  have  been  teferred  to  in  a  general  way.  A  list  of  species 
will  now  be  given.  As  is  known  to  some,  I  have  made  a  study  of 
these  for  twenty  years  ;  and  prior  to  the  great  "  Chicago  Fire  "  of 
1871,  had  collected  representatives  of  all  the  species  known.  I 
lost  in  that  "  Fire  "  more  than  two  thousand  species,  among  them 
the  La  Salle  County  collection,  but  fortunately  had  preserved  a  list 
of  those  from  this  county,  which  is  now  embodied  in  this  paper. 
The  greatest  care  has  been  taken  to  verify  species  and  localities, 
and  though  the  specimens  were  destroyed,  every  one  is  even  now, 
after  the  lapse  of  six  years,  as  familiar  to  me  as  though  thej'  were 
still  in  my  hands.  I  only  regret  that  figures  and  descriptions  can 
not,  for  obvious  reasons,  be  given  in  this  book.     For  these  the  lover 


Geological  Formations^  etc.  509 

and  student  of  geology  must  refer  to  the  State  Reports  and  tlie 
various  other  scientitic  publications  of  the  time — a  labor  requiring 
a  vast  amount  of  patience  and  research,  but  one  that  will  not  intimi- 
date the  zealous  explorer  after  knowledge. 

FOSSILS   OF   THE   COAL   MEASURES   GROUP. 
CARBONIFEROUS   FORMATION. 

Brachiopoda.     Mollusca. 

Martinia  (Spirifer,)  piano- convex  a  ^  Shum.  Abundant  at  La  Salle 
and  elsewhere. 

Terebraiula  bovidens,  Morton.  Abundant,  same  localities  as  the 
preceding. 

Athyris  subtilita,  Hall.  Has  a  wide  distribution  in  the  Coal 
Measures. 

CJionetes  millepunctata,  M.  and  W.  In  the  upper  Coal  Measures 
at  La  Salle. 

Uhonetes  mesoloba,  Hall.  Very  plentiful  everywhere  in  the  Coal 
Measures. 

Chonetes  Flemingii,  Hall.     Found  at  La  Salle  in  same  location. 

Choneies  g ranuUfera,  Hall.     Same  as  the  preceding. 

Discina  niiida,  Phil.     Found  at  La  Salle. 

Discina  subtiigorialis,  McUhesney.     Same  locality  as  preceding. 

Discina  capuliformis,  McChesney.    Found  at  La  Salle. 

Productus  JSebrascensis,  Owen.  Abundant  at  La  Salle  in  the  upper 
limestones.  Also  found  on  the  Vermillion — equals  P.  Eogersii,  N. 
and  P. 

Productus symmetricus,  McCh.     Abundant  at  La  Salle. 

Productus  2Junctatiis,  3Iartin.  Very  fine  and  large.  Loc.  At 
La  Salle  and  on  the  Vermillion. 

Productus  injiatus^  McCh.  Extremely  abundant  at  La  Salle  and 
other  localities.    Resembles  P.  semireticulatus,  of  Sub  Carb. 

Productus  longispinus,  S'by.  From  the  La  Salle  limestones. 
Also  found  b}'^  me  on  the  Vermillion.  Equals  the  P.  Wabashensis, 
N.  and  P. 

Productus  costatus,  S'by.  Abundant  at  La  Salle  in  the  upper 
limestones. 

Productus  La  S(tllensis,  Worthen.  A  variety  of  the  preceding 
species. 


510  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Productus   Wilberamis,  McGh.     From  La  Salle.    Is  larger  than 
P.  JVebrascensis,  •which  it  resembles. 

Or  this  LaSiUenns,   McCh.  {Heinipronites.)    Fouad  at  La  Salle 
and  west  of  the  Big  Vermillion. 

Orthis  crass  us,  Meek  and   W.  {Hemipronites.)    Found  at  La  Salle, 
(equals  H.  erenisiria.     Eur.) 

Ortlds  carbonari'i,  Swalhw.     Abundant  in  the  upper  Coal  Meas- 
ures, at  La  Salle  and  elsewhere. 

Retzia  punctulifera,  l<hum.     Same  as  last. 

Spirifer  Keniuckensis,  Shum.     Same  locality  as  last. 

Spirifer  Cdmeratus,  Morton.    Abundant  everywhere  in  the  upper 
Coal  Measures. 

RJiynchoneUa  Osagensis,  Swallow.     Found  on  the  Vermillion  near 
Big  Bend. 

Rhynelionella  Wortheni,  Hall.     Found  at  La  Salle. 

Meelcella  striato-costutn,    W.avd  St.  J.     Same  as  last. 

Lingula  mytiloides,  S'by.     From  the  Big  Vermillion  Coal  Meas- 
ures. 

Lamellibrancliiata.     Solenomya  soleniformi'^,    Cox.     Found  near 
Kirkpatrick's  and  at  La  Salle. 

Solenomya  radiata,  M.and  W.    Same  as  last. 

Aviculopecten  Coxanus,  Eall  {?).     Two  miles  below  Kirkpatrick's, 
in  black  shales. 

Aviculopecten  neglectus,    Oein.    From  shales  on  the    Big  Ver- 
million. 

Aviculopecten  interlineatus,  M.  and  W.     Upper  Coal  Measures  at 
La  Salle,  very  fine. 

Nucula  ventricosa,   Hall.     Lower  Clay  shales  at  La  Salle  and 
Ottawa. 

Nucula  parva,  McUh.     Lower  Coal  shales,  Big  Vermillion. 
■    Cardiomorpha  Misaouriensiit,  Slium.     Coal  shales  at  La  Salle. 

Myalina  Swallovi,  McCh.    Coal  Measure  shales  at  La  Salle. 

Myalina  recurvirostns,  M.  and  W.     Same  as  last. 

Jidmondia  peroblonga,  M.  and  W.     La  Salle  Upper  Coal  Measures. 

Lima  retifer.,  Shum.     Lower  Coal  Measures. 

Gasteropoda 

Naticopsia  Shumardi,  McC.     Found  in  the  blue  limestones  of  the 
Coal  Measures  along  the  Little  Vermillion  at  La  Salle. 
Naticopsis  Altonensis,  McC.     Same  as  last. 


Geological  Formations^  etc.  611 


Naiieopsis  nodosa,  var.  IloUidayi,  M.  and  W.  Coal  Measures  at 
La  Salle. 

Naticopsis  subovaius,  Worthen,  M.  S.     La  Salle  Coal  Measures- 

Euomp>Juilus  subguadratus,  M.  and  W.     Upper  Coal  Measures. 

EuomphaluH  pernodosus,  M,  and  W.    Lower  Coal  Measures. 

Euomphalus  subrugosvs,  M.  and  W.  Shales  of  the  lower  Coal 
Measures  on  the  Vermillion. 

Bellerophon  carbonnria^  Cox.    Same  as  last. 

Belltroplion  Blaneyanus,  McV.     Same  as  last. 

Pleurotomavia  Orayvillensis,  McC.  La  Salle  and  elsewhere  in 
Coal  shales. 

Pleurotomaria  Shumardi.  An  elegant  species  from  Wild  Cat 
Point. 

Murehisonia  archimidea,  McC.  Limestones  at  La  Salle  and  on 
the  Big  Vermillion.     Found  by  A.  C.  Baldwin. 

GepJialopoda. 

Ooniatites  Hathaicayanus,  McC.     La  Salle. 

Nautilus  Li  Sallensis,  M.  and  W.     Same. 

Orthoceras  Vermillionensis,  Calkins,  M.  8.  From  the  Coal  strata 
shales. 

Leaia  tricarinata,  M.  and  W.  Lower  Coal  Measures,  Big  Ver- 
million. 

Vertebrata. 

Cladodus  mortifer,  N.  and  W.     From  the  Coal  shales  at  La  Salle. 

Petalodus  destructor,  N.  and  W.    Limestones  at  La  Salle. 

Petrodus  occidentaUs,  li.  and  W.     Coal  shales. 

Agassizodus  variabilis,  iV.  and  W.  Upper  Coal  Measures  at  La 
Salle. 

Agassizodus  scitulus,  W.  and  St.  J.  Lower  Coal  Measures  Ver- 
million and  La  Salle. 

Lophodus  variabilis,  N.  and  W.     La  Salle. 

Peltodus  unguiformis,  N.  and  W.     La  Salle. 

Cymatodus  oblongus,  N.  and  W.    La  Salle. 

FOSSIL   COAL   PLANTS. 

The  species  from  this  county  have  been  studied  but  little.  From 
Streator  I  have  identified  the  following  :  Pecopteris  villosa,  Brong. 
Pecopieris  unita,  I.esq.     Neuroptcris  hirsuta,  Lesq. 


512  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

From  Little  Vermillion  river,  Pecojiteris  Bucklandi,  Brong.  has 
been  found. 

Sigillaria  Massiliensis,  {Sp.  not.)  In  the  Marseilles  and  Deer 
Park  sandstones. 

SigiUaria  coriugata,  (iV.  -9.)    Found  at  Marseilles. 

Stigmanas.     Several  species,  undt. 

Lepidodendron  rugosum,  Brong.  From  the  Little  Vermillion. 
There  are  still  a  large  number  of  unidentified  and  undescribed 
forms  from  Deer  Park  and  Streator. 

RADIATA. — COKALS. 

LopJiopJiyllum  proliferum.  Met'.  Very  abundant  on  the  Big 
Vermillion,  La  Salle,  etc.,  in  the  limestones. 

Scaphiocrinus  hemispheric  us,  Shum.     La  Salle. 

The  Radiata  do  not  appear  to  be  numerous  in  species.  A.  C. 
Baldwin  found  near  Wild  Cat  Point  a  species  which  I  recognized 
as  Chaetetes  Igcoperdon,  Lay.  Its  position  and  occurrence  here  still 
puzzles  me.  The  strata  there  and  at  Bailey's  Falls  need  further 
study.  "While  the  majority  of  the  fossils  are  Carboniferous,  there 
are  forms  which  appear  to  belong  to  the  Cincinnati  Group,  L.  Silu- 
rian. All  along  the  Big' Vermillion,  at  Clark's  Ford,  etc.,  will  be 
found  numerous -£7 MC/i/aVe  stems  {Crinoidea,)  occurring  separately 
and  in  large  masses,  which  in  places  are  deposited  in  regular  strata, 
as  near  Clark's  Ford,  high  up  in  the  Carboniferous.  These  are 
called  by  the  local  geologists  petrified  buttons,  and  other  curious  but 
expressive  names.  None  have  been  found  sufficiently  perfect  to 
identify.     They  are  very  beautiful  and  very  abundant. 

FOSSILS   OF   THE   TRENTON   GROUP. 

Loicer  Silurian  Formation. 

Articulata.     Crustacea. 

Calgmene  Blumenbachii.  Brong.  {Trilobite.)  Supposed  to  equal 
C.nenaria,  Con.  Locality,  Clark's  Run.  Also  on  the  Vermillion 
and  at  Ottawa.  This  suggests  the  close  proximity  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Group — or  its  destruction  in  the  general  denudation. 

GASTEROPOBA. 

Trochonema  umbilicata,  Hall.     At  Deer  Park. 

Raphistoma  lenticularis,  Con.     Big  Bend. 

CyriolUes  trentonensis,  Con.     Loc.     The  Big  Vermillion. 


Oeologlcal  Formations^  etc.  513 

I  Lave  identified  from  the  Trenton  at  Homtr  the  following  species: 
Lituites  undaius,  Con.  Gonioceras  anceps,  Hall.  Very  fine.  Ormo- 
ceras  Backii,  Stokes.  Orihoceras  fmiforme,  Hall.  Endoceras  annu- 
iatum,  Hall.  Endoceras  proiiforme.  Hall.  Several  varieties. 
Uyrtoceras  dardamis,  Hall.  Vanvxemia  (?)  Ctemdonta  {?)  Lep- 
taena  sericea,  Hall.  Strophomena  alternata,  Con.  Asaphus{?)  Pen- ■ 
tamerus  (f)    Very  fine. 

From  the  Trenton  of  the  Big  Vermillion  and  Covel  creek  we  have : 
Orihoceras  ariellum,  Con.  Orihoceras  Junceum,  Hall.  Orihoceras 
veriebrale,  Hall.  Cyrtoceras  macro stomum,  Hall.  Cyrtoceras  con- 
sir  iciostriatum,  Hall.  Maclurea'J).  Orihoceras  Tiian ,  Hall.  This 
is  our  largest  species.  All  Cephalopoda.  Other  species  are  :  Conu- 
laria  irenionetisis,  Miller.  Found  near  Lowell  by  A.  C.  Baldwin. 
Very  rare,  ibireptelasma  corniculum,  Hall.  Leptaena  sericea,  Hall. 
Abundant.  Orthis—Rhynclwnella—Strophomena.  Last  three  species 
not  positively  identified.  The  Facoides  are  represented  by  several 
species.  The  observer  will  see  at  Lowell— ButJiotrepIiis  succulens, 
Hall,  and  BnihotrepMs  gracilis,  Hall. 

Of  Corals  we  have  two  species  of  Halysites  not  named,  and 
Favistella  sidlaia.  Hall,  at  Eatons  — before  referred  to  as  Honey- 
comb Coral,  which  all  will  recognize.  A  few  good  specimens  of 
the  screw-coral,  Archimides  reversa,  Worlhen,  were  found  near  Wild 
Cat  Point  by  A.  C.  Baldwin,  and  are  the  only  ones  that  I  have  seen 
from   this  county. 

This  completes  the  list  of  identified  species  coming  under  my 
notice.  There  are  many  others  still  undiscovered,  which  future 
research  will  reveal. 


FAUNA  OF  LA  SALLE  COUNTY. 


BEASTS. 

The  Fauna  of  this  locality,  from  the  open  and  exposed  character 
of  the  counlri',  did  not  embrace  those  animals  which  delight  in  the 
seclusion  of  the  dense  forest — the  bear,  the  panther,  was  not 
known ;  or,  if  known,  only  as  transient  visitors.  But  those 
adapted  to  the  country  appear,  from  the  testimony  of  the  French 
explorers  and  other  sources,  to  have  existed  in  immense  numbers. 
It  was  a  country  prolific  of  animal  life— but  limited  in  species. 

Seventy-five  years  ago,  the  buffalo,  in  immense  herds,  swarmed 
over  the  broad  plains  of  Illinois,  and  fattened  on  the  rich  prairie 
pasture.  Their  bones  were  scattered  profusely  over  the  prairie 
when  the  settlements  first  commenced. 

There  was  said  to  be  a  tradition  that  they  were  nearly  extermin- 
ated by  a  hard  winter  with  an  immense  depth  of  snow.  But  it  is 
well  known  that  the  bufialo  retreats  south  on  the  approach  of  win- 
ter, and  the  situation  of  the  bones  would  not  indicate  anj'  whole- 
sale slaughter  from  any  cause.  Each  skeleton  was  by  itself,  and 
they  were  apparently  of  diflerent  ages,  as  indicated  by  the  different 
stages  of  decay,  and  no  great  number  existed  in  the  same  decajang 
stage.  And  the  natural  mortality  from  old  age  or  accident  among 
such  immense  herds  would  account  for  all  the  bones  then  existing. 
They  mu>t  have  existed  here  in  immense  numbers,  as  the  pasture 
would  have  sustained  millions.  The  country  now  inhabited  by  the 
buffalo  is  comparatively  barren,  and  yet  they  are  found  in  herds 
that  can  not  be  numbered  or  computed,  but  like  their  Indian  com- 
panions, on  this  theatre  of  what  was  doubtless  the  scene  of  their 
highest  development,  they  are  fast  fading  out  before  the  cruel  but 
resistless  advance  of  civilized  man.  Like  the  Indian,  they  have 
gone  toward  the  setting  sun,  and  the  place  that  now  kniws  them 
will  soon  know  them  no  more. 

514 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Beasts.        515 

And  the  deer  have  followed  the  buffalo.  The  tirst  settlers,  and 
even  those  who  came  in  twentj^-five  years  ago,  will  testify  to  the 
immense  number  of  deer  that  tempted  the  skill  of  the  hunter. 
They  could  be  started  from  almost  every  thicket  or  point  of  timber. 
They  could  daily  be  seen  in  droves  of  four  or  five  to  twenty-five, 
and  even  35  to  40  have  been  seen  together.  They  were  sometimes  a 
serious  nuisance— they  would  eat  the  limbs  of  j'oung  fruit  trees  to 
the  great  disgust  of  the  owner,  who  was  impatiently  waiting  for  the 
growth  of  the  first  apple.  And  they  were  nearly  as  desiruclive  as 
so  many  hogs  in  the  ripened  corn.  A  farmer  would  frequently  have 
three  or  four  acres  of  unpicked  corn  caught  in  the  first  deep  snow, 
and  when  the  snow  melted,  four  to  six  weeks  after,  would  find  it 
all  harvested  by  the  deer.  They  were  a  pretty  feature  in  the  land- 
scape—excessively  timid— their  lithe  and  sleek  forms  ever  alert  and 
apprehensive  of  danger,  were  continually  in  motion;  when  feeding 
they  would  hastily  take  a  bite  or  two,  then  throw  up  their  heads 
and  look  suspiciously  in  all  directions,  and  if  startled  by  any  in- 
truder, would  hoist  their  white  flags  and  leap  over  the  ground  with 
a  fleetness  and  grace  unmatched  by  any  other  animal.  Their  flesh 
was  choice  eating,  and  their  skins  weie  valuable  ;  many  of  the  early 
settlers  could  dress  them  nicely,  and  make  them  into  mittens, 
gloves,  and  frequently  into  coats,  hunting  frocks,  pants,  and  moc- 
casins. They  were  easily  killed,  and  their  flesh  was  a  common 
article  of  diet.  Experienced  hunters  often  made  it  a  profitable 
business  killing  them  for  the  market.  They  gradually  diminished 
before  the  advancing  settlements,  and  had  nearly  all  left  the 
country  in  18G0.  The  last  one  killed  in  the  county  known  to  the 
author  was  killed  on  the  Vermillion,  in  1866,  since  which  time 
none  have  been  seen.  The  young  fawns  were  easily  domesticated 
if  caught  when  quite  young  and  carried  in  the  arms  for  half  a  mile, 
they  would  then  follow  readily  and  remain  if  properly  fed  and  pro- 
tected. They  were  quite  interesting  pets,  but  soon  became  destruc- 
tive to  young  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  an  ordinary  fence  was  never 
in  the  way  of  a  deer.  These  characteristics  were  usuallj^  fatal  to 
the  young  pets,  and  by  the  time  they  were  half  grown  their  flesh 
was  consigned  to  the  cook  and  their  skins  to  the  glover.  The 
buffalo  and  the  deer  and  other  game  are  being  preserved  in  both 
public  and  private  collections,  and  will  not  entirely  be  lost  to  the 
world,  but  the  deer  confined  will  never  rival  in  beauty  and  agility 
his  wild  congener  in  his  native  haunts,  any  more  than  the  caged 


516  History  of  La  Salle  County . 


liou  equals  his  ancestor  when  free  on  the  borders  of  the  desert,  be- 
neath an  African  sun. 

The  hunler  and  his  game  have  yielded  to  their  destiny,  while  the 
farmer,  and  the  flocks  and  herds  that  go  and  come  at  his  call  and  feed 
at  his  hand,  occupy  their  heritage.  The  flocks  and  herds  that  first 
replaced  the  buffalo  and  deer  have,  in  turn,  given  place  to  those  of 
more  perfect  form,  and  they,  too,  must  yield  to  a  better  and  more 
perfect  race,  when  that  better  one  claims  the  right.  The  survival 
of  the  fittest  is  a  law  as  imperative  when  applied  to  animals,  as 
when  applied  to  nations  and  individuals. 

Of  beasts  of  prey,  the  number  was  very  limited. 

Felines. — The  Canada  lynx  was  occasionally  met.  It  lives 
on  rabbits  and  birds,  sometimes  on  young  pigs  and  poultry,  but 
otherwise  is  harmless  ;  it  is  a  stupid  animal,  easily  shot  or  caught  in 
traps.  The  wild  cat,  or  bay  lynx,  was  more  plenty  but  not  numer- 
ous ;  were  destructive  in  the  hen  roost.  Both  of  the  loregoing  have 
disappeared. 

Cakis  Lupus. — The  large  gray  wolf  was  only  occasionally  seen. 
They  sought  more  seclusion  and  a  better  hiding  place  than  this 
region  aflbrded.  But  the  prairie  wolf  here  found  their  natural 
habitat,  and  existed  by  thousands.  They  are  a  bold,  impudent,  and 
mischievous  animal,  living  on  rabbits,  birds,  lambs,  pigs,  poultry, 
green  corn,  watermelons,  berries,  and  almost  every  thing  that 
comes  in  their  way.  They  burrow  in  the  ground,  usually  on  some 
high  ridge  of  the  prairie,  to  rear  their  young,  having  from  six  to  ten 
at  a  litter.  They  would  come  around  the  cabins  of  the  early  set- 
tlers at  night  and  pick  up  the  crumbs  and  bones  thrown  out  during 
the  day.  They  were  cunning  and  not  easily  killed  or  caught  in 
traps  ;  at  least,  it  required  experience  and  skill  to  trap  them  suc- 
cessfully. Hunting  them  on  horseback,  with  dogs  and  grayhounds 
to  lead,  was  exhilarating  sport.  Well  mounted,  preceded  by  the 
dogs,  and  they  by  the  wolf,  bounding  at  full  speed  over  the  swells 
of  the  prairie,  was  very  exciting  to  the  participant,  or  to  the 
observer,  and  if  the  wolf  did  not  reach  the  covert  of  a  thicket  or 
timber,  was  pretty  sure  to  yield  up  his  skin.  A  single  horseman, 
well  out  from  timber,  could  ride  over  and  eventually  tire  out  and 
kill  a  wolf,  if  his  steed  did  not  tire  first  ;  one  or  two  good  dogs 
would  shorten  the  process  and  much  relieve  the  horse.  The  wolves 
would  frequently  make  a  bed  on  a  bog,  or  ant  hillock,  by  crawling 
under  the  grass,  which,  when  killed  by  frost,  was  nearly  the  color 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Beasts.        517 

of  the  wolf,  and  excavating  so  as  to  bring  bis  body  about  even  with 
the  surface  with  a  perfect  tit,  his  head  on  the  side  of  the  hillock  in 
a  good  position  for  observation,  and  then  wait  for  bis  prey.  The 
writer  passed  within  three  feet  of  one  in  that  position,  when  per- 
ceiving a  pair  of  eyes  among  the  grass,  returned  to  about  the  same 
distance,  and  for  a  minute  or  two  looked  steadily  at  the  eyes,  which 
returned  the  gaze  without  winking,  and  then  giving  a  loud  scream 
and  jumping  toward  the  eyes,  developed  a  very  large  wolf,  which 
leaped  nearly  ten  feet  at  the  first  bound.  One  caught  in  a  heavy 
trap,  on  being  approached  made  desperate  efforts  to  get  free,  then, 
with  the  hair  on  bis  back  erect,  be  barked  fiercely  like  a  dog,  but 
perceiving  his  enemy  not  frightened,  instantly  fell  as  if  shot,  and 
lay  as  dead  while  being  dragged  some  distance  by  the  trap.  A 
severe  blow  on  the  head,  designed  to  kill  him,  made  bim  very 
lively.  They  were  very  noisy,  especially  at  night,  barking,  yelping 
and  howling,  frequently  a  combination  of  all  three  —  four  or  five 
would  make  as  much  noise  as  twenty  might  be  supposed  capable  of 
doing.  Their  concerts  were  often  repeated  during  the  night  and 
frequently  in  the  daytime,  and  were  the  lullaby  that  put  our 
children  to  sleep  —  at  least  their  concerts  were  usually  in  progress 
when  they  went  to  sleep. 

Two  good  dogs  could  master  a  prairie  wolf,  but  one  alone  would 
seldom  attempt  it,  unless  an  extra  one  for  size  and  spunk.  Gener- 
ally when  the  nightly  concert  commenced,  the  old  dog,  which  would 
bark  violently  at  other  times,  would  seek  his  kennel  or  get  under 
the  bed. 

The  prairie  wolves  are  not  yet  exterminated.  For  a  number  of 
years  they  were  not  seen  or  beard,  having  retreated  to  the  large  un- 
settled prairies,  but  they  were  probably  as  much  surprised  as  the 
early  settlers  to  find  those,  then  solitudes,  filled  with  an  enterpris- 
ing, dense  population,  and  now  disturbed  in  their  favorite  haunts, 
they  have  scattered  over  the  State,  not  very  numerous,  but  enough 
to  prove  a  decided  nuisance.  They  are  one  of  the  retiring  races, 
and  being  without  one  redeeming  trait  of  character,  their  final  exit 
will  be  bailed  with  satisfaction. 

The  opossum,  the  only  American  marsopial,  are  found  in  quite 
limited  numbers.  It  is  said  they  were  not  here  before  the  settle- 
ment and  for  some  years  after.  Their  temporary  advent  was  not 
to  them  a  success,  and  being  easily  caught  they  will  soon  disappear. 

The  raccoon  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  woods,  living  in  hollow  trees 


518  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

in  heavy  timber  ;  they  visit  the  settlements  iu  pursuit  of  green  corn 
and  chickens.  Our  open  country  is  not  their  favorite  liome,  yet 
thej'  are  found  in  limited  numbers  in  the  vicinitj-  of  the  streams 
and  timber  belts. 

The  ground  hog,  or  woodchuck,  though  occasionally  seen,  are  so 
few  as  to  be  hardlj'  an  item  iu  the  fauna  of  the  county. 

The  skunk  was  seldom  seen  at  an  early  day,  but  have  rapidly  iu- 
cre-'scd  in  the  last  few  years.  Though  sometimes  destructive  to 
young  poultry,  they  are  doubtless,  on  the  whole,  a  benefit,  living 
almost  entirely  on  beetles,  grasshoppers,  crickets,  and  other  insects 
and  larvae.  Their  good  acts  far  overbalance  their  evil  ones,  yet 
they  could  not  be  recommended  for  pets. 

The  badger  was  barely  known  to  be  a  resident  here.  A  few  were 
caught  at  an  early  day,  but  are  not  known  here  now. 

The  graj^  rabbits  are  ver}^  numerous  both  on  timber  and  prairie. 
They  increased  rapidly  after  the  settlement  of  the  county.  They 
are  sometimes  very  destructive  to  nurseries,  young  fruit  trees  and 
shrubber}',  gnawing  the  bark  and  girdling  the  trees.  Immense  num- 
bers are  killed  without  seeming  to  diminish  their  numbers,  as  they 
breed  like  rabbits. 

Of  the  true,  or  tree,  squirrel  we  have  but  one  variety,  as  the 
squirrel  is  distinctivel}'  an  inhabitant  of  the  woods.  The  fox  squir- 
rel is  of  a  red  or  fox  color,  and  one  of  the  largest  of  the  squirrel 
family.  Much  larger  than  the  black  or  gray  squirrel  of  the  3Iiddle 
States.  They  have  gradually  increased  with  the  settlements,  there 
having  been  but  few  found  here  at  first. 

The  chipmunk,  or  ground  squirrel,  was  not  found  here  for  several 
years  after  the  settlements  commenced  ;  thej'  are  now  quite  com- 
mon. When  the}'  first  appeared,  tbeir peculiar  chinup  was  at  once 
recognized  by  emigrants  from  the  Eastern  States,  and  they  were 
greeted  as  old  acquaintances.  The  chipmunk  is  regarded  as  inter- 
mediate between  the  tree  squirrel  and  the  spermipholes,  laying  up 
his  winter  store  like  the  first  and  burrowing  in  the  ground  like  the 
latter.  He  has  not  yet  acquired  the  bad  reputation  of  his  eastern 
congener,  of  digging  up  the  newly  planted  corn. 

The  flying  squirrel  diilers  from  all  the  squirrel  family  in  its 
appendage  for  sailing  from  one  tree  to  another,  although  no^ 
properly  flying.  It  also  diflers  in  being  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  and 
consequently  is  not  often  seen  even  when  quite  numerous. 

Of  the  spermipholes,  or  prairie  squirrel,  we  have,  or  did  have. 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Beasts.        519 


two  varieties— the  striped  and  gray.  The  gray  variety  is  more 
than  twice  the  size  of  Ihe  striped  ;  their  habits  are  the  same.  The 
gray  were  never  as  numerous  as  the  striped,  and  have  now  nearly 
or  quite  disappeared.  The  striped  variety  are  yet  quite  numerous, 
but  when  the  country  was  new  they  were  much  more  so,  and  a 
great  enemy  to  the  farmer's  corn  at  the  planting  season.  In  North- 
ern Illinois  and  Wisconsin  they  are  erroneously  callc  d  gophers. 
The  spermipholes  all  hibernate,  or  sleep  through  the  winter  with- 
out food.  They  select  some  bank  or  sand  lidge  that  will  not  be 
flooded,  and  at  the  bottom  of  their  hole  excavate  a  space  that  will 
hold  from  a  third  to  half  a  peck,  which  they  fill  with  leaves  and 
dry  grass.  The  hole  is  closed  from  the  inside,  and  obedient  to  the 
instincts  that  guide  him,  the  little  fellow  crawls  to  the  centre  of  the 
nest,  rolls  himself  into  a  ball,  and  slet  ps  till  spring,  unconscious  of 
the  c(  Id  snow  wreaths  piled  above  him. 

The  gopher,  like  the  mole,  lives  beneath  the  surface.  Is  about 
the  size  of  a  large  rat,  of  a  dark  color,  with  fine  fur  like  the  mole. 
Their  burrows,  or  run-ways,  are  ten  to  twelve  inches  below  the 
surface,  and  extend  indefinitely.  While  excavating  their  burrows, 
at  intervals  of  a  few  feet  they  come  to  the  surface  and  deposit  the 
earth  taken  from  the  excavation  ;  these  piles  of  earth  contain  half 
a  busl  el  or  more.  For  this  woik,  nature  has  provided  them  with  a 
pouch,  or  pocket,  on  each  side  of  the  neck,  -nhich  they  fill  and 
then  come  to  the  surface,  and  by  a  contraction  of  the  muscles 
empty  the  pockets  with  a  force  that  ejects  the  earth  to  a  distance  of 
six  to  twelve  inches.  The  gopher  lives  mostly  on  roots,  and  is 
very  destructive  to  young  trees  and  vines,  and  especially  so  to 
osage  hedge.  It  is  claimed  they  are  not  found  north  of  tl.e  Illinois 
riv€r,  but  they  are  veiy  plenty  south  of  it.  To  kill  them,  put  a 
grain  of  strychnine  in  a  small  potato  and  drop  in  the  run-way. 

Otter  were  found  along  all  the  principal  streams,  and  frequently 
caught.  They  are  very  seldom  setn  new.  The  American  otter 
weighs  about  twenty-five  pourds,  and  its  fur  is  valuable.  It  has  a 
singular  habit  of  sliding  down  a  wet  clay  bank  into  the  water, 
apparently  for  sport.  It  will  climb  the  bank,  slide  down,  and 
repeat  the  process  for  a  great  length  of  time  with  as  much  appar- 
ent pleasure  as  the  boy  courses  with  his  sled.  A  trap  set  under  the 
water  at  the  proper  point  is  very  apt  to  spoil  the  spoit,  and  is  a 
common  way  of  taking  them. 


520  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Beaver  were  numerous  at  the  time  of  the  French  explorations, 
but  disappeared  before  the  American  settlement. 

Mushrat  weie,  and  still  are,  numerous,  frequently  building  their 
winter  homes  in  the  ponds  on  the  middle  of  the  largest  prairies. 

Mink  are  quite  plenty  over  all  the  country.  Their  fur  is  more 
valuable  than  any  other  animal  we  have  of  their  size,  and  of  course 
thej^  draw  the  principal  efforts  of  the  trapper.  But  they  are  very 
prolific,  and  are  likely  to  hold  their  own.  They  are  about  the 
worst  enemy  that  preys  on  the  poultrj'  yard. 

The  small  brown  weasel,  though  not  numerous,  are  yet  a  great 
pest  among  the  poultry.  The  cruel,  bloodthirsty  little  rascal  has 
no  fear,  and  very  little  discretion,  but  more  pluck  than  can  be 
found  elsewhere  enclosed  in  so  small  a  skin  ;  his  reckless  daring 
often  leads  him  to  his  death. 

The  Norway  rat  soon  followed  the  emigrants,  and  in  a  few  years 
became  immensely  numerous.  All  animals  increase  in  proportion 
to  immunity  from  molestation  by  enemies  and  easy  access  to  their 
natural  food  ;  the  profusion  of  the  cereal  grains  all  exposed  made 
this  the  paradise  of  rats.  Yards  filled  with  corn  cribs,  standing  for 
three  or  four  years,  became  infested  with  numbers  innumerable. 
They  go  and  come,  sometimes  swarming  like  the  locusts  of  Egj'pt, 
and  then  leaving  for  several  years.  The  black  rat,  so  common 
seventy  years  ago,  disappeared  immediately  after  the  introduction 
of  the  Norway  species,  which  is  a  larger  and  much  more  powerful 
and  sagacious  animal.  The  country  has  gained  nothing  by  the  ex- 
change. Some  succeeding  race  may  exterminate  the  Norway,  but 
that  may  result,  as  before,  only  in  a  change  of  evils.  The  good 
things  of  the  world  were  not  made  for  man  alone.  Imperious 
man  says : 

" '  See  all  things  for  my  use.' 

"  '  See  man  for  mine,'  replies  the  pampered  goose."— Pope. 

The  common  mouse  was  a  native  of  the  prairie,  and  no  sooner 
was  a  house  completed  and  occupied  than  the  mice  asserted  their 
right  to  a  place  therein,  and  they  held  it,  as  no  buildings  then 
erected  would  exclude  them.  Now  they  are  no  more  annoying 
here  than  elsewhere. 

The  long-tailed,  or  jumping  mice,  are  found  in  the  timber  occa- 
sionally, but  they  are  not  numerous. 

The  short-tailed,  or  meadow  mice,  are  very  numerous,  and  have 
increased  with  the  settlements;  they  are  often  very  destructive  to 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Birds.        521 

orchards  and  shrubbery.  Aiiy  tree  or  shrub  left  in  the  fall,  with 
grass  or  other  mulching  about  the  root,  is  liable  to  be  girdled  by 
these  rodents.  This  is  prevented  by  removing  everything  down  to 
the  naked  earth  from  the  tree,  and  tramping  heavj^  snows  solid 
about  it. 

Bat. — There  are  two  groups  of  this  singular  little  animal,  the  fru- 
givorous,  or  fruit-eating,  and  insectivorous,  or  insect-eating.  We 
have  only  two  or  three  closely  allied  varieties  of  the  insect-eating 
kind;  they  fly  in  the  dark  in  pursuit  of  prey,  which  Ihey  take  like 
the  swallow  and  other  insectivorous  birds.  The  bat  differs  in  its 
organs  of  sight  from  all  other  nocturnal  animals.  The  owl  and  the 
cat  have  large  eyes,  with  a  pupil  that  dilates  to  the  size  of  the 
eye;  while  the  bat  has  extremely  small  eyes  and  evidently  of  little 
use,  as  it  avoids  all  obstructions  when  on  the  wing  equally  well 
wheu  its  eyes  have  been  destroyed — hence  the  adage,  ''  blind  as  a 
bat."  Cuvier  discovered  that  the  extreme  delicate  sensibility  of 
the  large  wings  answers  the  purpose  of  sight;  the  reaction  of  the 
air  upon  these  sensitive  surfaces  enables  them  to  judge  of  the  dis- 
tance as  well  as  size  of  all  surrounding  objects,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  the  minutest  ray  of  light  aftects  them  as  really  as  it  does  the 
retina  of  the  best  formed  eye.  Does  not  this  explain  how  somnam- 
bulistic clairvoyants  see  to  read  from  the  top  of  the  head  ? 

BIRDS. 

The  prairie  region  could  not  boast  of  as  full  a  list  of  the  feath- 
ered tribes  as  a  timbered  country.  In  fact,  the  more  common  sing- 
ing birds  were  at  first  almost  entirely  wanting,  and  one  of  the 
causes  of  discontent  and  homesickness  was  the  absence  of  the 
well-remembered  bird  music,  which  made  the  groves  and  orchards 
of  the  older  States  vocal  with  song.  This  was  more  marked  away 
from  the  timber,  but  even  along  the  edge  of  the  timber,  where  the 
tirst  settlements  were  made,  it  needed  groves,  orchards,  and  gar- 
dens, and  especially  the  fruits  they  bore,  to  make  an  acceptable 
home  for  the  birds  of  song.  The  constant  roar  of  the  prairie  cock, 
the  distant  whoop  of  the  crane,  the  bittern's  solitary  note,  and  the 
yelping  of  the  prairie  wolf,  was  to  a  homesick  ear  a  poor  exchange 
for  the  cheerful  song  of  the  robin,  the  thrush,  the  cat  bird,  and  the 
oriole  of  the  orchards,  and  the  vireos  and  warblers  of  the  groves. 

Singing  Birds,  Family  Turdid.«. — The  robin  was  not  gener- 
ally seen  here  for  several  years  after  settlements  commenced.  At 
34 


522  History  of  La  Salle  (jounty. 

length  a  solitary  pair  might  be  seen  in  the  timber,  but  the  orchard 
and  garden,  their  favorite  home,  did  not  exist,  but  when  they  did, 
the  robin  quickly  occupied  them  in  plentiful  numbers.  The  robin 
is  so  close  a  companion  of  civilized  man,  and  so  nearly  connected 
with  the  rural  population  and  all  the  recollections  of  childhood, 
that,  during  its  absence  for  the  first  few  years  of  pioneer  life,  it 
was  sadl}'  missed,  and  its  advent  greeted  with  sincere  satisfaction. 
It  is  a  sweet  singer,  and  confides  in  man,  building  its  nest  in 
the  favorite  apple  or  cherry  tree.  It  is  true,  the  robin  is  fond 
of  cherries  and  small  fruits,  but  it  is  better  to  plant  an  extra  tree  or 
two  for  their  use  than  to  dispense  with  their  pleasant  company. 

The  cat  bird,  like  the  robin,  came  in  gradual)}-  as  the  country 
improved.  It  is  a  sweet  singer  as  well  as  inveterate  scold,  a  fami- 
liar inhabitant  of  our  thickets,  groves,  and  hedgerows,  frequently 
rearing  its  j'oung  in  the  garden  or  hedge,  and  becomes  quite  fami- 
liar ;  if  kindly  treated,  will  come  to  the  steps  and  even  into  the 
house  for  the  crumbs  daily  thrown  for  its  use. 

The  brown  thrush — thrusher — sandy  mocking  bird,  is  a  delightful 
singer.  It  came  a  little  earlier  than  the  robin,  but  at  first  onl)-  a 
few  in  number  ;  they  are  now  numerous.  It  is  a  pretty  pet,  and 
sings  finely  in  confinement.  In  the  Eastern  States  it  was  said 
when  the  thrush  appeared  in  the  spring  it  was  time  to  plant  corn. 

Family  Saxicolid.?^. — The  bluebird  is  usually  the  first  arrival  of 
our  migratory  birds  at  the  close  of  winter,  and  the  sound  of  his 
pleasant  note  is  hailed  as  the  harbinger  of  spring.  The  note  of  the 
bluebird,  though  not  musical,  but  in  a  half  plaintive,  half  cheerful 
tone,  heard  on  the  first  warm  days  of  February  or  March,  is  to 
most  ears  peculiarlj'  grateful. 

Family  Parld^. — Titmice,  or  chicadees,  ar'e  a  hardy  bird,  en- 
during the  rigors  of  the  severest  winters,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
none  of  them  are  migratory.  They  are  musical  after  their  fashion, 
chirping  a  quaint  dittj',  which,  heard  on  a  cold  winter's  daj'  when 
all  sounds  of  animal  life  are  hushed,  is  pleasant  to  hear.  They 
are  active,  restless,  and  heedless  of  man's  presence,  and  live  on 
insects,  seeds,  and  almost  anything  that  comes  to  hand.  We  have 
several  species. 

Nuthatch. — The  nuthatches  are  among  the  most  nimble  and 
active  creepers,  running  up  or  down  the  tree  with  equal  facility — 
the}'  hang  in  everj-  conceivable  position,  head  down  as  often  as  any 
other  way;  this  distinguishes  them  from  other  creepers. 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Birds.        523 

Family  Troglodytid.e. — The  wrens  are  a  numerous  family,  of 
which  the  liouse  wren  may  be  taken  as  a  type.  It  is  an  impudent 
little  creature,  very  pugnacious  and  apt  to  show  bad  temper,  are 
particularly  spiteful  toward  swallows  and  martins,  sometimes 
taking  possession  of  their  nests.  They  sing  cheerily,  and  when 
disturbed  while  singing,  scold  vociferously.  There  are  two  or 
three  species  only  with  us;  they  are  not  numerous,  but  increasing. 

The  Family  Sylviacolid.e,  or  Warblers,  are  a  family  of 
small  birds  embracing  an  immense  number  of  species.  They 
mostly  inhabit  the  thick  woods,  nestling  among  the  dense  foliage, 
living  on  insects,  and  cheering  the  solitude  with  their  cheerful 
musical  notes,  being  mostly  good  singers.  In  a  heavy  timbered 
region  they  are  found  in  immense  numbers,  but  we  have  but  a  few 
species,  of  which  the  summer  }'ellow  bird  is  one. 

Family  Tanagrid.e. — Of  the  tanagers  we  have  a  s'ngle  species, 
ihe  scarlet  tanager,  a  brilliant  fiery  red,  except  the  wings  and  tail, 
which  are  black;  a  very  showy  bird,  becoming  quite  common. 

Family  Hirtjndinid.-e. — Of  swallows  we  have  the  barn  swallow, 
building  in  barns  or  other  out-buildings. 

The  cliff  or  eave  swallow,  unknown  here  till  within  the  last 
twelve  or  fifteen  years,  naturally  congregate  in  large  numbers  and 
build  their  ball-shaped  nests  on  high  overhanging  cliffs,  but 
recently  have  taken  to  building  under  the  eaves  of  barns,  nearly 
covering  the  sides  of  the  building.  They  are  flycatchers,  and  are 
said  to  use  up  the  mosquitoes  in  the  locality  where  they  stop. 

Bank  swallow,  sand  marten,  like  the  foregoing,  are  gregarious, 
and  collect  in  the  breeding  season  in  large  numbers,  and  make 
holes  for  their  nests  in  some  back  or  river  bluff. 

The  blue  marten — marten — usually  build  in  boxes  prepared  for 
them  by  those  who  enjoy  their  social,  cheerful  ways. 

The  swallows  are  all  migratory,  and  leave  soon  after  the  close  of 
the  building  season.  Their  sudden  departure  and  return,  and  their 
habit  of  flying  close  to  the  surface  of  the  water  for  insects,  has 
given  rise  to  a  fiction  that  they  winter  in  a  torpid  state  at  the  bot- 
tom of  lakes  and  streams. 

Of  the  waxwings,  we  have  the  Carolina  waxwing,  cedarbird, 
cherrybird.  They  are  not  residents  here,  but  visit  us  occasionally, 
The}^  are  very  destructive  to  cherries;  a  flock  of  them  will  clean  a 
cherry-tree  of  its  fruit  in  a  few  minutes,  without  saying  by  your  leave. 

The  Greenlets,  or  Vireos,    are   like    the    warblers  in   their 


524  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

habits.  Our  open  prairies  tempt  but  few  of  tliem  to  stop  with  us. 
The  vireo  appeals  to  the  ear  rather  than  to  the  eye,  having  a  plain 
dress  that  harmonizes  with  the  verdure,  and  being  seldom  seen,  as 
their  home  is  among  the  densest  foliage  of  the  forest.  There  they 
warble  their  lays  unseen,  while  the  foliage  itself  seems  stirred  to 
music.  Standing  on  a  still  summer  day  in  the  solitude  of  the  forest, 
that  heart  must  be  callous  to  emotion  that  does  not,  while  listening 
to  the  wild  notes  of  the  little  songster,  echo  thoughts  he  can  never 
expect  to  clothe  in  words. 

Of  the  shrikes  we  have  the  great  northern  shrike,  or  butcher 
bird — a  bold  and  quarrelsome  bird.  They  are  carnivorous,  feeding 
on  insects  and  such  small  birds  and  animals  as  they  can  overcome. 
The}''  have  a  curious  habit  of  impaling  their  prey  on  thorns,  or 
sharp  twigs,  and  leaving  it  there — for  what  object  has  never  been 
ascertained. 

The  Family  Frixgillid.!:  embraces  the  sparrows,  and  allied 
birds,  finches,  buntings,  linnets,  etc.  Thej'  are  very  numerous, 
both  in  species  and  individuals,  in  fact,  the  two  families  fringillid* 
and  sylviacolidie,  or  warblers,  compose  about  one-fourth  of  all  our 
species  of  birds.  The  sparrows,  finches,  etc.,  live  mostly  on  seeds, 
and  consequently  are  not  so  strictly  migratory  like  the  purely 
insectivorous  birds,  which  go  south  with  the  first,  cold  to  secure 
their  food. 

We  have  several  varieties  of  the  sparrow.  The  chirping  sparrow, 
or  chipping  bird  of  New  England,  is  either  not  here,  or  varies  from 
its  eastern  type,  which  it  is  said  to  do,  and  still  more  further  west. 
The  song  sparrow,  field  sparrow,  and  other  varieties,  are  plent}', 
some  of  them  fine  singers.  The  snowbird,  the  lark,  bunting,  or 
white-winged  blackbird,  the  indigo-bird,  cardinal  or  red-bird,  not 
native  here  but  kept  in  confinement  for  its  song  ;  towhee,  or  che- 
wink,  a  well  known  inhabitant  of  woodlands  and  thickets  ;  may 
be  seen  solitary  scratching  among  the  leaves,  occasionally  emitting  a 
single  note  or  cry,  are  all  well  known  here,  and  are  of  the  same  familj'. 

The  Family  Icterid^,  or  American  Starlings,  embraces  bobo- 
link of  the  North,  or  rice-bird  of  the  South,  yellow  headed  black- 
bird, grackle,  or  crow  blackbird,  field,  or  meadow  lark — this  bird 
is  a  pretty  singer,  partially  gregarious,  and  not  migratory.  The 
above  were  here  when  the  settlements  commenced.  The  orchard 
oriole,  of  an  orange  color,  with  black  wings  and  tail,  and  the  Balti- 
more oriole,  golden   robin,    firebird,   or  hangnest — of   a  fiery  red 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Birds.        525 

color,  black  wings  aud  tail  ;  both  of  tliem  are  fine  singers,  and 
hang  their  nests  (which  are  a  round  sack  with  an  opening  at  the 
top,)  to  the  end  of  a  pendant  bough.  Tliey  only  come  among  us 
after  the  country  has  become  well  settled. 

Family  Corvid^  embraces  the  crows,  jays,  etc.  The  ravens 
were  about  as  numerous  as  the  crows  before  the  settlement  by  the 
whites. 

The  raven  is  only  distinguished  from  the  crow  by  its  much 
larger  size  and  its  croaking  note.  A  homesick  woman  said  every 
thing  here  was  change  ;  even  the  crows  were  so  hoarse  they  could 
only  croak. 

The  crows  have  increased  with  the  settlements.  They  have  a 
better  reputation  here  than  their  eastern  congeners,  where  they 
pull  the  young  corn  ;  here  they  are  not  accused  of  that  as  yet. 
They  live  mostly  on  insects,  and  do  much  more  good  than  harm. 
They  take  an  egg  occasionally,  but  are  far  less  criminal  in  that 
respect  than  the  ravens,  which  were  experts  at  hunting  eggs. 

The  Bluejay. — Every  one  knows  the  jay,  with  its  blue  dress 
and  harsh,  discordant  note.  He  is  a  lively,  cheerful  fellow,  and 
though  he  sometimes  eats  the  early  apple,  (who  would  not?)  aud  it 
is  said  he  has  a  bad  habit  of  disturbing  the  young  of  other  birds, 
yet  he  may  be  slandered,  and  all  have  their  failings;  he  could  not 
well  be  spared  from  the  fall  and  winter  landscape,  and  he  may  well 
be  tolerated  about  the  cattle  yards  on  a  winter  morning,  where  he 
picks  up  occasionally  a  stray  kernel  of  corn. 

Family  Tyranidas— Fly-catcher— Kingbird— Bee  Martin.— A 
pugnacious,  quarrelsome  bird  and  noted  tyrant  among  his  fellows, 
and,  like  all  quarrelsome  individuals,  has  few  friends  ;  he  is  accused 
of  eating  bees,  but,  like  all  bad  characters,  is  verj^  likely  to  be  ac- 
cused unjustly.  He  is  a  habitual  tly-catcher,  and  probably  destroys 
a  thousand  noxious  insects  to  one  bee,  but  on  the  theological 
dogma,  that  a  good  act  performed  by  a  sinner  is  yet  a  sin,  so  I 
suppose  the  poor  kingbird  will  not  be  allowed  credit  for  anj'  good 
act,  liowever  useful. 

Pewee,  Pewit,  Phoebe. — A  small  bird,  of  brown  color  ;  its  song 
resembles  the  word  "  phebe  "  iiuickl}^  and  sharply  spoken,  hence  its 
common  name,  phoebe-bird.  It  builds  under  bridges,  eaves  of  out- 
buildings or  house-porch  ;  it  appears  when  spring  has  fairly  opened. 

Family  CArRiMULOiD.E,  Goatsuckers. — The  whippoorwill  is 
the  most  noted    of   tlie    family  ;    the    night  song  of   this  bird  is 


526  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


known  to  all,  and  is  a  great  addilion  to  the  songs  of  the  summer 
night,  and  a  cheerful  sound  floating  through  the  dampness,  when 
only  the  sad  moan  of  the  owl  is  heard. 

Night  Hawk. — This  bird  belongs  to  the  same  family  as  the  whip- 
poorwill,  but  not  to  the  same  genus  ;  while  that  bird  is  nocturnal, 
the  night  hawk  flies  by  daj',  or  more  generally  toward  evening, 
flying  in  companies,  foraging  for  insects.  In  the  breeding  season 
it  performs  curious  evolutions,  falling  through  the  air  with  a  loud, 
booming  cry. 

Family  Cypselid.e,  Swifts,  Chimney  Swallows.— These  birds 
closely  resemble  the  swallow  in  form  and  habits,  but  are  really 
widely  different.  They  are  noted  for  tlie  great  development  of  the 
salivary  glands,  which  secrete  large  quantities  of  a  kind  of  mucus, 
with,  which  thej'  glue  the  sticks  together  which  compose  their 
nests.     They  build  in  chimneys. 

Family  Trochilid^e,  Hummingbirds. — There  are  said  to  be  five 
hundred  species  of  this  beautiful  creature,  all  Americas.  Most 
numerous  in  the  tropics.  The  ruby-throated  hummingbird  is  the 
most  common  in  this  latitude,  disseminated  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  Its  tiny  form;  beautiful  colors  rivaling  the 
rainbow  ;  its  activity  and  celerity  of  motion,  standing  balanced  on 
its  pinions  while  it  sips  the  nectar  from  nature's  fountain,  changing 
its  position  in  any  direction  with  the  quickness  of  thought — 
altogether  it  seems  a  being  of  a  more  perfect  organization  than 
pertains  to  earth,  as  if  allied  to  the  fabled  sylphs  of  the  higher 
air,  and  too  delicate  for  the  rough  siorms  that  beat  on  us  here. 

Family  ALCiDiNiDiE,  Kingfisher. — The  belted  kingfisher  is 
found  plentiful  along  our  streams.  Thej'  are  adroit  fishers,  diving 
beneath  the  water  to  seize  their  pre3\  They  burrow  in  the  banks 
of  streams,  where  they  rear  their  young. 

Family  Cuculid^,  Cuckoo. — The  yellow-billed  cuckoo  is  the 
only  one  with  us.  It  is  seldom  seen  except  wheu  on  the  wing  from 
one  covert  to  another,  being  a  sh}^  and  solitary  bird,  yet  frequent- 
ing orchards  and  thickets  in  the  vicinity  of  dwellings,  where  its 
note,  sounding  like  "  cow,  cow,"  may  be  heard.  It  builds  its  own 
.  nest  and  rears  its  own  young,  while  most  of  the  cuckoos  deposit 
their  eggs  in  the  nests  of  other  birds,  which  unwittingly  become 
foster  mothers  in  place  of  the  unnatural  parent,  and  the  young 
cuckoo,  as  soon  as  able,  ejects  the  rightful  fledglings  from  the  nest, 
taking  sole  possession;  hence  the  saying,  "as  ungrateful  as  a  cuckoo." 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Birds.        527 

Family  Picid.k,  Woodpeckers.— We  have  the  red-headed  wood- 
pecker, whose  gay  color  and  loud  harsh  screams  are  well  known. 
The  golden-winged  woodpecker,  highholder,  flicker,  or  yellow 
hammer,  is  also  common.  There  are  several  other  varieties  found 
in  the  timber,  and  they  are  all  useful,  living  on  the  larve  of  beetles, 
which  they  extract  from  trees,  being  provided  with  an  apparatus 
for  that  purpose.  The  tongue  of  the  woodpecker  is  sharp  and  hard 
as  horn,  with  numerous  barbs  projecting  backward  on  the  sides, 
and  he  has  the  power  of  extending  his  tongue  several  inches  be- 
yond his  bill,  this  he  thrusts  into  the  hole  made  by  ihe  larva,  or 
borer,  as  he  is  frequently  called,  pierces,  and  the  barbs  hold  him 
securely  while  the  bird  draws  out  and  swallows  the  precious  mor- 
sel. How  curious  and  wonderful  is  this  arrangement,  and  how  well 
adapted  to  its  purpose  ;  design  is  stamped  on  all  that  exists. 

There  is  a  variety  called  sphyrapicus,  or  sap-sucker,  whose  tongue 
is  not  sharp  or  extensile,  but  is  broad  and  covered  with  fine  sharp 
and  hard  papilla  ;  with  this,  after  removing  the  outer  bark  with 
his  bill,  he  rasps  oif  the  cambium,  or  new  and  soft  wood  and  inner 
bark,  on  which  he  subsists.  They  make  a  horizontal  row  of  round 
holes  sometimes  entirely  around  the  tree,  repeating  the  process  sev- 
eral times,  so  as  to  remove  all  the  inner  bark,  and  girdle  the  tree. 
They  prey  mostly  upon  evergreens,  doing  great  injury. 

Family  Stkigid^e,  Owls. — The  owls  are  mostly  nocturnal,  and 
all  carnivorous.  Their  solemn  appearance,  coupled  with  their 
strange  and  lugubrious  notes,  has  caused  traditional  superstition 
to  class  these  dismal  night  birds  as  illomened.  The  little  screech 
owl,  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  family,  is  quite  common.  Its  shrill 
scream  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  until  familiarized,  is  really 
startling.  The  long-eared  owl  is  of  medium  size,  and  is  the  only 
variety  that  breeds  here  except  the  above.  The  great  gray  owl  and 
the  snowy  or  white  owl,  the  largest  of  the  owls,  are  natives  of  the 
boreal  regions,  but  travel  south  during  the  winter  and  aie  fre- 
quently seen  at  that  season. 

Family  Falconiu^,  Hawks.  — The  hawks  hold  the  same  relation 
to  the  feathered  tribes  that  the  beasts  of  prey  do  to  the  mammals. 
In  round  numbers,  there  are  1,000  species  and  200  genera  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.    Of  this  large  number,  we  have  but  three  or  four. 

The  red-tailed  buzzard,  or  hen  hawk,  is  quite  common  and  well 
known. 

The  sharp-shinned  hawk  is  of  medium  size,  of  great  courage,  and 


528  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

very  active.     Will  picli  up  a  chicken  in  presence  of  the  mistress  of 
the  poultry  yard,  and  do  it  so  adroitly  as  scarcely  to  be  noticed. 

The  rusty  crowned  falcon,  sparrow  hawk,  is  one  of  the  smallest, 
and  preys  upon  small  birds.  This,  with  the  cooper,  or  chicken, 
hawk,  includes  about  all  that  are  now  common  in  this  locality. 

A  medium  sized,  reddish  colored  hawk,  called  prairie  hawk,  were 
very  numerous  at  an  early  day.  They  were  constantly  on  the  wing, 
hovering  near  the  ground,  and  living  on  mice  and  insects  mostly. 
They  have  now  entirely  disappeared. 

OsPREY,  Fish  Hawk. — Are  quite  common  along  our  principal 
streams,  subsisting  exclusively  on  fish. 

Bald  Eagle. — This  emblem  of  the  Republic  lives  mostly  on  fish, 
and  is  a  piratical  parasite  of  the  o^prey.  It  will  sit  for  hours  watch- 
ing the  osprey,  and  when  that  bird  rises  from  the  water  with  its 
prey,  the  eagle  at  once  pounces  upon  it,  compels  it  to  drop  its  hard- 
earned  prize,  which  tiie  eagle  siezes  and  carries  to  its  eja'ie,  where 
it  feasts  on  its  illgotten  treasure. 

The  traditional  nobility  of  the  eagle,  like  that  of  the  red  man, 
fades  out  on  close  acquaintance,  and  a  more  fitting  emblem  might 
take  its  place  as  the  insignia  of  the  great  Republic. 

Mankind  makes  indiscriminate  warfare  on  the  hawk  family,  for 
the  reason  that  they  sometimes  take  a  chicken,  but  they  destroj" 
immense  numbers  of  insects,  mice,  moles,  rabbits,  and  reptiles,  and 
with  few  exceptions  are  our  benefactors. 

Family  Catiiartid.e,  Vultures. — The  well-kuown  turkey  buz- 
zard is  the  only  specimen  of  this  family.  It  is  a  filthy,  gluttonous 
bird,  yet  entirely  harmless,  and  useful  as  a  scavenger. 

Family  Columbid,e,  Pigeons. — The  wild  pigeon  are  only  vis- 
itors here,  their  breeding  places  are  in  the  dense  forest.  They 
come  and  go  as  food  serves;  like  all  wild  birds  and  mammals,  they 
congregate  where  food  is  most  plentiful  and  most  to  their  taste. 

The  turtle-dove,  or  mourning-dove,  are  numerous,  and  remain 
with  us  through  the  year.  Their  plaintive  note  in  a  minor  key, 
though  not  musical,  is  not  unpleasant,  and  would  be  seriously 
missed  from  the  usual  sounds  of  the  summer  day. 

The  numerous  varieties  of  the  tame  pigeon  claimed  to  have 
descended  from  some  of  the  wild  varieties,  by  their  divergence  from 
the  parent  stock,  furnish  the  strongest  proof  of  the  Darwinian 
theory  of  development. 

Family  Meleagrid.e,  Tubkeys. — The   wild  turkey  was  found 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Birds.        529 

here  hy  the  first  settlers,  and  still  holds  its  own,  or  is  probably  in- 
creasing, owing  to  the  better  protection  furnished  by  the  increase  of 
timber. 

Family  Tetraonib^,  Gkouse. — The  pinnated  grouse,  or  prairie 
hen,  was  once  very  numerous,  congregating  in  flocks  in  the  fall  to 
the  number  of  two  or  three  thousand,  and  when  the  flock  rose  on 
the  wing  the  noise  resembled  distant  thunder.  They  were  shot  and 
taken  in  traps  in  any  amount  wanted.  The  attempt  to  protect 
these  birds  by  game  laws  has  resulted  in  their  rapid  extinction; 
hunting  is  prohibited  till  the  chicks  are  nearly  grown,  consequently 
the  birds  are  tame,  and  with  trained  dogs,  when  a  covey  is  started, 
the  last  bird  is  killed,  the  slaughter  is  literally  murderous. 

The  rulfed  grouse,  or  partridge  of  New  England,  are  not  com- 
mon here,  a  stray  one  is  occasionally  seen,  and  the  peculiar  drum- 
ming sound  for  which  this  bird  is  noted,  is  heard  from  the  thick 
timber  but  seldom. 

Quail— Partridge  of  Virginia,  Bob  White.— These  pretty  and 
useful  birds  have  largely  decreased  since  the  settlement  of  the 
country.  The  practice  of  every  boy  that  can  carry  a  gun  for  mere 
sport  shooting  the  little  innocents  should  be  discountenanced.  The 
amount  of  food  obtained  is  a  small  equivalent  for  a  life  taken,  and 
is  it  not  barbarous  to  live  on  the  life  blood  of  innocent  beings  v  Is 
man  a  beast  of  prey?  he  is — but  should  he  be? 

Family  Charadrid.e,  Plover. — A  numerous  family,  containing 
nearly  a  hundred  species.  The  prairie  was  formerly  the  favorite 
haunt  of  a  number  of  species,  but  they  now  give  us  but  a  passing  call 
as  they  go  and  return  from  the  breeding  grounds  farther  north. 

Family  Scolapocid.e  —  Snipe,  Woodcock,  etc. — American 
woodcock,  a  favorite  bird  for  sportsmen,  plenty  in  some  localities. 
Long-billed  curlew,  once  numerous  on  the  prairie,  called  prairie 
snipe,  now  gone  to  a  newer  and  wilder  region.  The  sandpiper, 
godarts,  tattlers,  are  sometimes  seen;  these  last  are  all  shore  birds 
and  waders. 

Family  Ardeid^,  Herons. — The  blue  heron  is  common.  The 
white  heron  is  quite  numerous  at  certain  seasons,  and  a  conspicu- 
ous object;  standing  midway  in  the  stream,  perfectly  motionless, 
he  watches  for  his  prey. 

Bittern,  Indian  Hen,  Stake  Driver,  Pumper. — Once  numer- 
ous, are  still  found  about  the  ponds  of  water  on  the  prairie. 

Blue  Bittern. — This  bird  has  been  injured  by  a  vulgar  name  ; 
its  long  l^gs  and  neck  are  not  ungiaceful. 


530  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Family  Gruid^,  Craxes. — The  brown,  or  sand-hill  crane  has  a 
body  as  large  as  a  wild  turkey,  while  their  very  long  legs,  neck  and 
bill  give  them  a  majestic  and  commanding  appearance.  Their 
extreme  height  is  four  to  five  feet.  Thej'  feed  mostly  on  grains 
and  insects,  frequenting  the  high  and  dry  prairie,  but  building  their 
nests  on  the  margin  of  ponds  or  streams.  The  j'oung  in  color  and 
appearance  resemble  a  young  goslin.  They  are  a  social,  playful 
bird,  collecting  in  groups  on  the  prairie,  where  they  were  fre- 
quentl}'  seen  dancing  cotillions.  Some  ten  or  a  dozen  would  form 
a  circle,  lock  their  heads  together,  circle  right  and  left,  let  go  and 
each  turn  by  a  succession  of  hops  and  again  lock  their  heads  and 
repeat,  occasionally  stopping  to  utter  their  loud  and  shrill  screams 
or  whoop,  which  could  be  heard  a  long  distance.  Whether  this 
indulgence  is  approved  by  the  more  staid  and  older  cranes,  or  are 
the  wild  orgies  of  the  young  mad-caps,  is  not  known  ;  or  whether 
they  learned  from  unfeathered  bipeds,  or  the  unfeathered  learned 
of  the  cranes,  has  not  been  fullj"^  settled.  They  were  once  numer- 
ous here,  and  a  conspicuous  object  on  the  prairie,  and  their  shrill 
whoop  one  of  the  frequent  and  conspicuous  sounds  that  greeted  the 
early  pioneer.  But  they  seldom  stop  here  now ;  their  scream  is 
heard  high  in  air,  in  spring  and  fall,  as  they  go  and  return  to  and 
from  their  breeding  places  in  the  far  North,  away  from  civilization. 

Family  Ballid^,  Kails,  Coots,  etc. — These  are  a  small  class  of 
birds  that  frequent  swamps  and  marshes,  and  from  the  absence 
here  of  their  favorite  haunts,  they  are  but  seldom  seen. 

Family  Axatid.I!;,  Geese,  Ducks,  etc. — The  Canada,  or  wild 
goose,  brant  and  ducks,  once  to  some  extent  reared  their  broods 
and  summered  here,  but  with  the  exception  of  a  few  species  of 
ducks,  they  all  pass  by  for  their  summer  haunts  in  a  newer  region, 
but  they  are  plentiful  in  spiing  and  fall,  as  a  supply  of  food  tempts 
them  to  tarry. 

Gulls,  pelicans,  loons,  swans,  and  other  water  fowl,  are  seen, 
some  of  them  frequently  in  large  flocks,  along  the  Illinois  river 
and  other  large  streams,  as  occasional  visitors,  but  none  of  them 
make  this  locality  their  home. 

REPTILES. 

The    reptiles    common    to   this   latitude    are    not   plenty,    not- 
withstanding the  wide  circulation  of  the  Illinois  snake  stories. 
Turtles. — The  soft  turtle  is  common  about  the  large  streams. 


Fauna  of  La  Salle  County  —  Reptiles.      531 

The  snapping  turtle  and  speckled  turtle  are  about  all  in  tbat  line. 
A  few  small  lizards  are  seen,  but  very  rare. 

Snakes. — Were  once  numerous  but  are  fast  disappearing.  The 
yellow-banded  rattlesnake,  "Crotalus  durissus,"  are  occasionallj- 
met  with,  but  have  so  far  diminished  as  to  cease  to  be  a  terror  to 
the  timid. 

The  prairie  rattlesnake,  Massasauger, '*  Crotalophous  tergeminus," 
once  so  numerous,  are  only  occasionally  found.  These  two  are  the 
only  venomous  reptiles  we  have.  The  copper  head  is  said  to  be 
found  farther  south,  but  it  is  not  found  here. 

Of  harmless  snakes,  we  have  the  water  snake,  the  blowing  viper 
or  sissing  adder,  the  bull  snake,  a  very  large  and  beautiful  reptile, 
black  snake,  striped  snake,  and  green  snake.  These  are  not  only 
harmless,  but  useful.  They  destroy  immense  numbers  of  field  mice 
and  other  vermin.  One  good  sized  bull  snake  is  worth  more  than 
a  dozen  cats  to  destroy  rats  and  mice,  and  yet  nearly  every  one 
kills  a  snake,  and  in  doing  so  the  farmer  kills  his  best  friends. 
The  immense  increase  of  the  field  mice,  "Arvicola  riparia,"  so 
destructive  to  young  trees,  is  mostly  due  to  this  senseless  war  on 
the  snakes.  The  dread  of  a  snake  is  not  natural,  but  acquired  and 
traditional.  There  is  room  enough  in  the  world  for  these  harmless 
reptiles  and  us  too,  and  by  relentlessly  destroying  them  we  break 
the  harmony  of  nature's  balance  and  do  irretrievable  injury.  The 
dangerous  poisonous  reptiles  should  be  destroyed,  but  the  harm- 
less ones  have  a  right  to  protection,  and  our  best  interest  demands 
that-  a  senseless  superstition  should  no  longer  mar  the  wisdom  of 
nature's  laws. 

Batkaciiia. — The  warted  toad  is  quite  common.  The  tree  frog 
may  be  heard  from  his  perch  whenever  the  increasing  moisture  in 
the  atmosphere  calls  forth  his  thankful  song. 

The  bull  frog  is  not  common,  and  his  deep  bass  is  missed  from 
the  summer  evening  concerts  of  animated  life. 

The  green  frog  is  found  where  the  moisture  and  other  surround- 
ings suit  his  taste,  but  less  abundant  than  in  the  Eastern  States. 

The  peeping  frog  is  found  where  water  exists  for  any  length  of 
time,  and  it  is  singular  how  soon  a  pond  formed  on  dry  ground 
will  develop  this  noisy  little  batrachian.  Its  familiar  note  in 
early  spring  shows  that  the  icy  chains  of  winter  have  broken  and 
released  him  from  his  cozy  bed  at  the  bottom  of  the  marsh,  where 
in  unconscious  silence  he  has  slept  the  winter  away. 


THE    COMMON    SCHOOLS. 

School    Commissioners    and    County    Superintendents    of 

La  Salle  County. 

Charles  Hay  ward,  1831  to  1833  ;  David  Letts,  1833  to  1835  ; 
William  Stadden,  1835  to  1841;  W.  H.  W.  Cushman,  1841  to  1843  ; 
Lorenzo  Leland,  1843  to  1849  ;  Lucien  B.  Delano,  1849  to  1851; 
Wells  Wail,  1851  to  1853  ;  D.  P.  Jones,  1853  to  1857  ;  Wells  Wait, 
1857  to  1863;  J.  M.  Day,  1863  to  1869;  Geo.  S.  Wedgwood,  1869  to 
1872  ;  R.  Williams,  1872  to  1877. 

Number  males  in  County  under  21  years -  -  17,236 

Number  females  in  County  under  21  years.- 17,615 

Total  number  persons  under  21  years 34,851 

Number  males  between  6  and  21  years 11,391 

Number  females  between  6  and  21  years  ., 11, 777 

Total  number  between  6  and  21  years 23,168 

Number  of  male  pupils  enrolled 7,983 

Number  of  female  pupils  enrolled ... 8,349 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled 16,332 

Number  school  districts 298 

Number  districts  having  school  5  months  or  more 391 

Number  districts  having  school  less  than  5  months 7 

Total  number  Public  Schools  sustaiued 347 

Total  number  of  months  schools  sustaiued 2,843.63 

Average  number  months  schools  sustained 7.58 

Grand  total  number  days  attendance 15,865.04 

Number  Graded  Schools 19 

Number  months  taught  in  Graded  Schools 834 

Number  Ungrade  I  Schools -..  282 

Number  mouths  taught  in  Ungraded  Schools 1,391.90 

Number  Public  High  Schools - 5 

Number  Male  Teachers 216 

Number  Female  Teachers 394 

Total  number  Teachers -  610 

Number  months  taught  by  Male  Teachers 1,019.55 

Number  months  taught  by  Female  Teachers 2,021  75 

Total  number  months  taught 3,041.35 

Number  Private  Schools - 16 

Number  male  pupils  in  Private  Schools. 639 

Number  female  pupils  in  Private  Schools 558 

Total  number  pupils  in  Private  Schools 1,197 

533 


Churches.  533 


Number  teachers  in  Private  Schools - 27 

Highest  monthly  salary  paid  to  any  Male  Teacher |200.00 

Highest  monthly  salary  paid  to  any  Female  Teacher 70.00 

Lowest  monthly  salary  paid  to  any  Male  Teacher 20.00 

Lowest  monthly  salary  paid  to  any  Female  Teacher 15.00 

Number  of  applicants  examined  for  Teaching 521 

Number  of  males  rej  ected  -  -  - - - 21 

Number  of  females  rejected 61 

Number  Districts  having  Libraries - . 39 

Number  Vols,  bought  during  year  for  District  Libraries.  296 

Total  number  Vols,  in  District  Libraries 1,461 

Number  acres  School  Lands  sold  during  year 43 

Number  acres  School  Lauds  remaining  unsold 593 

Number  School  Houses  built  during  year 3 

Number  Stone  School  Houses  -    -- 1 

Number  Brick  School  Houses -.- 21 

Number  Frame  School  Houses 280 

Total  number  in  County - -  302 

Estimated  vnlue  of  School  Property $272,835.00 

Amount  of  Receipts  during  year. 266,121.72 

Amount  paid  Teachers  . .- 135,634.84 

Total  Expenditures  for  the  year 212.274.13 


CHURCHES. 


■NT        nf        Cost  of 

Organized.  Members  ^'•"""cli 

Adams-  M«°^^"^' Edifice. 

Lutheran 1847  200 

Norwegian  M.E 1853  20 

Methodist  Episcopal.. I860  71     $4,500 

Baptist 1847  40       4,000 

Catholic 1862         

Allen- 
Allen  Chapel,  M.  E 1871  40       2,500 

Protestant  German 1870  15      3,000 

Brookfield — 

Presbyterian,  of  Ottawa 1833        

Transferred  to  Brookfield 1840  30       1,500 

Bruce — 

Streator  Catholic  Mission 800        

Presbyterian,  as  the  Galloway  Church.  1858        

Transferred  to  Streator 1870  119         

Cumberland  Presbyterian 

Protestant  Episcopal 1878 

Methodist  Episcopal 

Baptist 1873 

United  Brethren 1873 

Oerman  Evangelical 


44 

2,500 

300 

7,500 

74 

4,500 

534  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

■vf-   --  Cost  of 

Organized.  v,e^Jirs  Church 

Deer  Park—  '**^™*'^'^'- Edifice. 

Baptist 1848  42  $2,000 

Methodist--- 1,200 

Eagle — 

Catholic 500  2,000 

Earl— 

Methodist  Episcopal 1842  ...  3,500 

Congregational 1867        

Presbyterian- - 1852  60         

Universalist -- -- 1867  60  15,000 

Baptist-- --- - 

Eden — 

Tonica  Congregational 1857  140  3,500 

Baptist,  organized  at  Vermillionville  .  1836         

Removed  to  Tonica 1856  76  2,500 

Methodist  Episcopal- 1855  70  3,000 

German  Evangelical 1870  100         

Cedarport  M.  E - 1848        1,800 

Fall  River- 
Hickory  Point  M.  E 50  3,000 

Farm  Ridge — 

Protestant  Episcopal,  St.  Andrew's.-.  1851  35  1,200 

Lutheran - 1859  42  2,000 

Methodist,  built  bj"^  the  Lutherans 1854        1,500 

Presbyterian,  at  Grand  Ridge 1856  103  1,850 

Freedom — 

Methodist  Episcopal..- 1835  50  4,000 

German  Methodist ..  50  2,000 

Baptist 1842  out  of  use. 

Presbyterian,  at  Gouldtown 1846        1,200 

Grand  Rapids — 

Catholic  Church .-.  300  4,000 

German  Protestant  Methodist 50  3,000 

YaleM.  E _ 80  2,800 

Cumberland  Presbyterian 1855  110  2,500 

Groveland — 

Congregational  (Rutland) 1854  35  2,800 

L  Methodist  Episcopal  .  1864  40  2,000 

jSTew  Rutland  -  Adventists 1865  40  2,000 

(  Christian  -  - - . .  1866  70  3,800 

Hope — 

f  Catholic 1875  100  2,800 

Lostant  P^P'^'t ^^^^  ^^  ■--- 

^"^^^°M  Methodist 1869  40 

[Catholic - -.  1868  140        

La  Salle — 

Catholic— St.  Patrick's  Cathedral 1838  4,000  75,000 

Protestant  Evangelical 1863  200  1,200 

Congregational 1852  80        

Methodist  Episcopal- -- 200  12,000 


Churches. 


535 


,,      ,.  0'-g«°i-«<>-  Member. 

Manlius — 

CongregatiouaL I860  212 

Baptist -- 1866  112 

Protestant  Episcopal 1867         

Universalist -  1859  40 

Methodist  Episcopal 80 

Mendota — 

Methodist  Episcopal ---  1853  200 

Baptist 1854  286 

Catholic --- 1854  550 

Presbyterian 1855  169 

Congregational.. 1855  45 

German  Catholic. 1856  110 

German  Lutheran 1858  88 

Evangelical  Association 1867  85 

United  Brethren 1875  52 

Miller- 
Lutheran,  at  Norway 1840  C'ng  400 

Mormon 1844  40 

Mission  Lutheran 1840  C'ng  600 

Protestant  Methodist 1845/  ^q 

Church  built  1855,  removed  to  Sheridan  1870  f 

Universahst.... 1877  12 

Methodist  Episcopal  being  organized. 
North  ville — 

Methodist  Episcopal  at  Asbury 

Ottawa — 

A  Mission  in  1838,  Catholic,  St.  Colum-  (  -j^g^^  .^  ^^^ 

bia.. .--ii"  ' 

A  church  costing  $45,000  was  burned. 

The  First  Congregational 1839  ) 

The  Plymouth  Church 1858  -  274 

The  two  united. 1870  ) 

Baptist ---  1811  269 

Protestant  Episcopal 1838  110 

Presbyterian... 1869  100 

Methodist  Episcopal 1830  210 

German  Evangelical  Association 1865  60 

St    Francis,  German  Catholic 1858  750 

German  Lutheran 1855  35 

Otter  Creek — 

Hopewell  Chapel,  United  Brethren. -.  1866  13 

Peru — 

Catholic  and  German  Catholic 1840  2,000 

Methodist  Episcopal 1845  40 

Presbyterian,    organized  at  Rockwell  1837    then  5 
Removed  to  Peru  1839,  made  Congre- 
gational ....(Parsonage,  $3,200)....  1853  70 


Cost  of 
Church 
Edifice. 

$4,000 
2,500 
2.000 


7,000 
18,000 
8,000 
4,800 
3,000 
9,000 
6,000 
3,000 
2,000 

4,000 

600 

7,000 

1,500 

1,200 


1,200 
6,000 

35,000 

10,000 
14,000 
22,000 
15,000 
2,400 

families 

1,300 

15,000 
3,300 

10,000 


536 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


•Kn      r,e  t'OSt  Of 

Oi-gauized.  Members    ^"*'"''<=*> 

Seneca-  Member..  Edifice. 

Catholic,  St.  Patrick's     1868  1,000   $15,000 

Methodist  Episcopal -. 1863  36         

Baptist - - 1866  25 

Sereiui — 

Seventh  Day  AcWentists... 1874  60  1,200 

French  Protestants 1873  50  1,000 

Union  Church... 1877  ..--  4,000 

United  Brethren 20      _ 

South  Ottawa — 

Presbyterian.. 1849  ....  1,800 

Troy  Grove — 

German  Catholic - ....  500  12,000 

Lutheran -...  30  1,500 

Presbyterian 20  3,500 

Bethel ----  3,000 

Utica — 

Catholic...   1852  3,000  10,000 

Baptist 1876  75 

Yermillion — 

Congregational 1837  ....  2,000 

Prot'nt  Methodist  occupy  the  Church. 

Waltham — 

Presbyterian 1849  ....  8,000 

Baptist  (near  Utica) 1,200 


WEALTH   AND  RESOURCES   OF   LA  SALLE 

COUNTY. 

The  following  statement  of  the  assessment  of  real  and  personal 
estate  of  La  Salle  county  for  1876,  and  of  the  taxes  for  all  purposes 
assessed  for  that  year,  is  the  annual  statement  made  by  H.  A.  Mc- 
Caleb,  County  Clerk,  and  is  correct,  but  in  one  particular  gives  a 
very  erroneous  impression  of  the  value  of  the  property  of  the 
county.  The  law  requires  the  assessors  to  assess  all  property  at 
its  cash  value,  but  the  tendency  has  ever  been  to  yearly  run  the 
price  down,  till  for  the  year  here  given  it  is  scarcely  50  per  cent,  of 
the  real  value.  The  assessed  price  of  land  for  1877  is,  for  im- 
proved land,  $26.25  per  acre;  for  unimproved,  $13.73;  average, 
$24.79;  while  the  actual  value  is  twice  that.  Horses  average  $46.33, 
mules  $46.69,  cattle  $15.82,  sheep  $2.09,  hogs  $3.14,  pianos  $95.55, 
parlor  organs  $42.50.  A  glance  at  this  list  will  make  it  apparent 
that  the  aggregate  of  the  assessed  valuation  should  be  doubled  at 
least  to  show  the  true  amount. 


Assessment  and  Taxes. 


537 


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Itecapltulation  of  Taxes. 


539 


RECAPITULATION  OF  TAXES  FOR  THE  YEAR  1876. 


State 
Taxes. 

County 
Taxes. 

Town 
Taxes. 

District 
School. 

Railroad  Taxes 

$  3,647.12 

2,74.3.05 

69,171.13 

$  2,865.77 

3,609.54 

51,379.81 

$     872.51 

4,767.61 

20,146.56 

$  7,616.56 
6,777.59 

Back  Taxes 

General  Taxes          

141,374.07 

$75,561.30 

$60,855.15 

$25,786.68 

$155,768.22 

Continued. 


Railroad  Taxes 

Back  Taxes  

General  Taxes 


District 
Road. 


$     616.60 

162.. 33 

6,582.34 


$7,361.27 


Road  and 
Bridge. 


I  2,097.59 

2,027.96 

42,312. CO 


$46,4.37.55 


Special 

Road  and 

Bridge. 


723.46 

3.36 

4,800.50 


$5,527.32 


City. 


$  .3,311.83 

9,716.72 

97,970  58 


$110,999.13 


Continued. 


High  School. 

Interest  Bond. 

Totals. 

Railroad  Taxes    

Back  Taxes       

$  211.34 

94  42 

2,339.15 

$  989.79 

$  22,952.57 
29,902  58 

General  Taxes    

10,169.11 

449,245.28 

' 

$2,644  91 

$11,158.90 

$502,100  43 

540  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

LODGES  AND  SOCIETIES. 

MASONIC. 

Organ-      No.  of 

Ottawa —  ized.    Memb'rs. 

Ottawa  Commandery,  No.  10 1851            66 

Shabona  Chapter,  No.  37 1876            95 

Occidental  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  40 132 

Humboldt  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  555 35 

St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  13 1843           78 

Peru  Chapter,  R.  A.  M 1860            63 

St.  John's  Commandery 1867           30 

Marseilles — 

Marseilles  Lodge,  No.  417. 52 

TONICA — 

Tonica  Lodge,  No.  364. 1861  37 

Blue  Lodge,  No.  607 1868  119 

Chapter  R.  A.M.,  No.  168 1875  40 

Sheridan —  » 

Sheridan  Lodge,  No.  35 1875  26 

Troy  Grove — 

LOSTANT — 

Lostant  Lodge,  No.  597 35 

La  Salle — 

Acacia  Lodge,  No.  67 1849           80 

Utica — 

Cement  Lodge,  No.  304 47 

Cement  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No.  58 1860           39 

Leland — 

Lei  and  Lodge,  No.  558 1867           18 

Seneca — 

Seneca  Lodge,  No.  533 1867           46 

Earlville — 

Meridian  Lodge,  No.  183 1854           60 

Rutland — 

Rutland  Lodge,  No.  477.. 31 

Rutland  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No.  112 1867           77 

New  Rutland  Council,  No.  52 1871           34 

Mendota — 

Men  dota  Lodge,  No.  176 112 

Mendota  Chapter,  No.  79 69 

Mendota  Council,  No.  32... 46 

Bethany  Commandery,  No.  28 38 

I.   O.   O.   F. 
Ottawa — 

Ottawa  Lodge,  No.  41 1856  109 

Library,  900  vols. 


Lodges  and  Societies.  541 


Organ-      ISo.  of 
ized.    Memb'rs 

Ottawa  Encampment,  No.  33 1856            45 

Lessing  Lodge,  No.  326.. 58 

IfBand  Encampment,  No.  Ill J 33 

TontiLodge,  No.  399 63 

Peru — 

Florence  Lodge,  No.  1,  Daughters  of  Rebecca..  60 

Mokena  Lodge,  No.  34... 86 

Peru  Encampment,  No.  164 33 

Rebecca  Lodge,  No.  89 46 

Marseilles — 

Junietta,  No.  201 1856            50 

Marseilles  Encampment,  No.  156 18 

TOiSICA — 

Tonica,  No.  298 1861  53 

Streator — 

Edina  Lodge,  No.  391 1869  98 

Streator  Lodge,  No.  602 1876  40 

Bethoven  Lodge 

Sheridan — 

Sheridan  Lodge.. 1874  30 

Troy  Grove — 

Shiloh  Lodge... , 1858  35 

lostajs't — 
La  Salle — 

La  Salle  Lodge,  No.  101 43 

Arndt  Lodge,  No.  525 40 

Utica— 

Utica  Lodge,  No.  403 1869  40 

Grand  Ridge — 

Victor  Lodge,  No.  578 

Leland — 

Leland  Lodge,  No.  352 30 

Seneca — 

Manlius  Lodge,  No.  491 36 

Star  of  Hope  Encampment,  No.  149 1873  10 

Earlville — 

Sbabona  Lodge,  No.  294 1861  65 

Rutland — 

New  Rutland  Lodge,  No.  607 16 

Mendota — 

Mendota  Lodge,  No.  293 08 

Allemania  Lodge,  No.  411.. 55 

miscellaneous  societies. 
Ottawa — 

St.  Elmo  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  No.  7 1875  40 

Humboldt  Lodge,  I.  B.  B.,  No.  180 40 


542  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Organ-      No.  of 

Peru —  ized.   Memb'rs. 

German  Benevolent  Society 168 

Peru  Turnverein 74 

St.  Mary's  Total  Abstinence  Society 30 

St.  Patrick  Benevolent  Society 28 

La  Salle — 

Father  Matthew  T.  A.  S.. 400 

Boys  St.  Patrick  Cadets '  300 

Brothers'  Parochial  School 200 

Academy  by  the  same. i      200 

School  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity 200 

Hibernian  Benevolent  Society. 120 

K.  O.  P 41 

A.  O.  U.W 25 

Streator — 

N.  StreatorLodge,  No.  429,  I.  O.  G.  T., 1876           29 

Centennial  Temple,  No.  1,  U.  O.  A.  T 1876            80 

Rose  of  Eden 1877            40 

Father  Matthew  T.  A.  S 80 

Centennial  Lodge,  No.  14,  A.  O.  of  W 38 

N.  Streator  Lodge,  A.  O.  of  U.W 

Eagle — 

Father  Matthew  T.  A.  S 50 

Utica — 

Father  Matthew  T.  A.  S.... 45 

Starved  Rock  Lodge,  L  O.  of  G.  T 1877            39 

Mendota — 

A.  O.  U.  W 1877            24 

Mendota   Benevolent  Society 80 

Mendota  Turners 50 

Independent  Order  G.  T.,  No.  416 56 

Star  Temple,  No.  2,  U.  O.  A.  T -  51 

Red  Ribbon  Club 1877          300 

Mendota  Cassino.. 40 

Mendota    Library  Association,  1,600  vols.,    en- 
dowed by  Wm.  Graves. 182 


MANUFACTURES  IN  LA  SALLE  COUNTY. 

LaSalle— 

The  Phoenix    Glass   Co.   manufacture  38,000  50  feet 
boxes     of    window    glass   annually,    averaging    $3 

per  box $114, 000 

Matheison  &  Heigler  Zinc  Works  manufacture  8,000,000 

lbs.  spelter  annually.. 500,000 

The  ore  is  brought  from  Wisconsin  and  Missouri. 
Men  employed,    300.     The  coal   is  obtained  from  a 


Manufactures.  643 


shaft  on  the  premises.     They  consume  100  tons  per 

day.     They  have    a  rolling-mill  for  manufacturing 

sheet  zinc  of  capacity  equal  to  the  manufacture. 
The  La  Salle  Zinc  Co.  manufacture  3,600,000  lbs.  spelter 

per  annum $325,000 

They  consume  50  tons  coal  per  day. 

Robert  Lanyan  &  Co.'s  Zinc  Works  make  6,000  lbs.  of 

spelter  daily,  or  1,800,000  lbs.  annually,  worth  about.  110,000 

and  consume  25  tons  of  coal   per  day. 
The  manufacture   of  cigars,    sash,   doors,    blinds,  and 

beer, will  amount  to  many  thousands. 
Marseilles — 

Pitts  &  Co.  manufacture  threshing  machines 250,000 

Adams,  agricultural  implements 100,000 

Young&Co.,  paper.. 30,000 

Mendota — 

Western  Cottage  Organ  Co.  turns  out 500,000 

Donahue  &  Madden,  wagons,  foundry,  etc 25,000 

Hastings  «fc  Co.,  wagons  and  carriages ..       7,500 

Henner3''s  Brewery 50,000 

Mendota  Linseed  Oil  Works,  capacity  75,000  bu.  of  seed. 
Ottawa — 

Glass  works  manufacture,  in  value 150,000 

per  annum.     They  consume  8,030  tons  of  coal,  250 

tons  soda  ash,  15,000 tons  of  sand,  3  tons  of  arsenic, 

employ  150  hands.     4,000  bbls.  of  lime,  and  300,000 

feet  of  lumber  for  boxes. 
Ottawa   Starch   Factory    consume     from    100,000  to 

250,000  bu.  of  corn  per  annum,  and  turn  out  1,000 

lbs.  starch  daily  when  running. 
King   &  Hamilton   manufacture  corn   cultivators  and 

corn  shellers  to  the  amount  of 200,000 

Geo.  W.  Rugg,  manufacturer  of  furniture 30,000 

May erhofer,  plows  and  cultivators 40,000 

The  manufacture  of  cutlery,  sash,   doors,   and  blinds, 

pumps,  etc.,  will  amount  to 75,000 

Peru — 

The    Illinois  Zinc  Co.  manufacture    4,000.000  lbs.  of 

spelter  annually,   and  consume  60  tons  of  coal  daily  250,000 
The  tirmof  Brewster,  Huse  &  Co.  manufacture  plows, 

cultivators,  etc. ,  to  the  amount  of 200,000 

The  business  of  the  Peru  Foundry,  Brenner  «&  Snow, 

amounts  to 40,000. 

The  manufacture  of  beer  amounts  to  over  100  barrels 

daily. 
Utica — 

The  production  of  hydraulic  lime  is  75,000  bbls.,  worth.  110,000 

Sewerage  pipe,  130,000  feet,  worth 38,000 

Drain  tile,  250,000  feet,  worth 22,000 


644  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


Amount  of  Corn,  Oats,  and  Live  Stock,  the  Production  op 
La  Salle  County,  Shipped  per  Annum. 


Cars  of  Bushels  of  Bushels 

Stock  ^o™-  °^  ^'''^• 

La  Salle                                    --  329,335  85,800 

Utica,byJaV.ciark&Son 210,000  22,000 

"      by  Gilbert 27u,000  35,000 

Carsof  Stock- - 42        ...         -. 

Peru,  Day's  Warehouse .-  250,000  ^^'"X^ 

"      Young's  Warehouse 200,000  a0,000 

«'      Stockdale's  Warehouse 250,000  50,000 

Ottawa,  average  shipment 1,300,000  35,000 

Ottawa  Corn  Starch  Co.  consume  100,000  --------- 

Seneca                            -       235  600,000  200,000 

Ransom".: 40  130,000  20,000 

Marseilles,  Scott  &  Harrington... 300,000  100,000 

Ward  60,0W  30,000 

MendotaV. '.-... -  257  300,000  75,000 

Tonica                                345  70,000  35,000 

Lostant".  :/.'-■.: 245  93,000  52,000 

Winona,  i'  supposed  to  be  the  }  240  92  000  50,000 

proportion"  from  LaSalle f  ' 

New  Rutland,  *  supposed  to  be  [  225  85  000  40,000 

the  proportion  from  LaSalle.  f  "  ' 

Sheridan  "^ -  580  77,000  15,000 

Serena 30  100,000  20,000 

Wedron                                       ..  15  15,000  2,000 

Grand  Ridg^: ----  107  200,000  30,000 

Streator..! .-—  84  250,000  40,000 

Leland 179  90,000  50,000 

Earl  200  151,000  40,000 

Meriden "."...... 120  120,000  44,000 

Mendota 227^  300,000  70,000 

Sandwich  (one-half) 50,000  24,000 

Somonauk        "         63,000  15,000 

Garfield,  Munster,  Dayton 50  100,000  25,000 

Totals 3,211  6,305,335  1,335,300 

Grass  Seed  grown  in  County,  100,000  bushels. 


Amount  of  Coal  raised  at  LaSalle  and  Peru.. 300,000  tons  annually. 
"      "     shipped  from  Streator 300,000     " 

600,000 


Arrival  of  Boats  at  Ottaioa. 


545 


Ice  Trade  of  Peku  and  La  Salle. 

Ice  Cut— McCormick -. 25,000  tOQS. 

Huse&Loomis 25,000     " 

Other  houses 25,001)    " 

Vicksburg  Co ..15,000    " 

■     "  AtLaSalle .35,000    " 

Total  at  Peru  and  La  Salle ....125,000  tons. 


POPULAT[OX  OF  STATE  AND  COUNTY. 


1820.  1830.  1840. 

State 55,163    157,445    476,183 

County  of  LaSalle,  9,348 


1850. 
851,470 
17,815 


.    I860. 
1,711,951 
48,332 


1870. 
2,539,891 
60,792 


SALE  OF  TOWN  LOTS  IN  OTTAWA  IN  1832  AND 

1833. 


Block  4, 
Block  11, 
Block  12, 
Block  13, 
Block  13, 


Lot        7 
S.  *  Lot  8 
Lot  6 

Lot  3 

Lots  4,  5,  6 


$  29 

33 

20 

13 

100 


Block  16, 
Block  5, 
Block  17, 
Block  11, 
Block  13, 


Lot  16, 
Lot  3, 
Lot  3, 
S.  i  Lot  2, 
Lot    8, 


$18 
14 
30 
30 

27 


Lot  3,  Block  11,  embraces  the  N.  %  of  the  E.  side  of  the  Square. 
Lot  8,  Block  3,  embraces  the  S.  }i  of  the  W.  side  of  the  Square. 
The  price  for  Lot  8  was  |13  cash  and  $15  County  orders. 


ARRIVAL  OF  BOATS  AT  OTTAWA. 

To  show  the  amount  of  river  trade  in  the  olden  time  the  follow 
ing  arrival  of  river  boats  at  Ottawa  is  inserted  : 

DATE.  BOAT.  CAPTAIN. 

1831,  October  16.  The  Traveler 

1833,  April  4.  The  Caroline.. - 

18:J3,  .January  14.  Exchange 

"     July  3.  Exchange 

"     July  13.  Exchange 


546 


History  of  La  Salle  County. 


DATE. 

1849. 

March 

13. 

ti 

11 

14. 

11 

II 

15. 

i( 

IC 

10. 

(< 

IC 

17. 

(1 

II 

18. 

(( 

II 

19. 

K 

1 1 

20. 

t( 

II 

22. 

l( 

1 1 

23. 

(( 

II 

34. 

(C 

1 1 

25. 

(t 

II 

25. 

1( 

CI 

26. 

CI 

II 

27. 

CI 

1 1 

29. 

II 

>l 

29. 

11 

1 1 

30. 

[I 

II 

30. 

4  I 

April 

1. 

IL 

II 

2. 

CI 

II 

5. 

II 

1 1 

5. 

II 

i( 

7. 

II 

CI 

9. 

<l 

1 1 

10. 

II 

tl 

11. 

CI 

II 

11. 

II 

IC 

13. 

II 

II 

15. 

II 

1 1 

18. 

BOAT.  CAPTAIN. 

Tamerlane. RoJBf. 

Lapere Hall. 

Alvarado -  - Moore. 

Revolution Hill. 

Prairie  Bird Johnston. 

Lightf  oot - Brooks. 

Uncle  Tobey McMahan. 

Avalanche -  -  - -  Moss. 

Timolion - Ryder. 

Revolution -  Hill. 

Prairie  Bird -- -  Pratt. 

II  II  _  'C 

Alvarado Moore. 

Acadia  .- Russell. 

Lightfoot -- Brooks. 

Ocean  Wave. Deviny. 

Eureka. Laycant. 

Timolion ' Ryder. 

Prairie  Bird -- Hill. 

Alvarado.-- Moore. 

Avalanche- -  -  - Moss. 

Ocean  Wave - Deviny. 

Dan'l  Slillman --- DeWitt. 

Eureka - Sargeant. 

Timolion ---  Ryder. 

Avalanche Moss. 

Prairie  State Baldwin. 

Ocean  Wave Deviny. 

Revolution Hill. 

Eureka - Laycant. 

Timolion--- ,-  Ryder. 


PATRONS  OF  HUSBANDRY. 


GRANGE. 

Dayton. - 27 

DeerPark 26 

Diamond  Creek,  Daua,-.  20 

Eagle 14 

Freedom 46 

Grand  Rapids 18 

Groveland 35 

Mission  .  -  - 23 

Northville 30 


No.  of  No.  of 

Memb'rs.    GRANGE.  Memb'rs. 

Peru ---  20 

Pomona  (Rutland) 22 

Rutland 46 

Serena-. -  20 

Sheridan 22 

Tonica 60 

Utica - 14 

Union   (Prairie  Center)  .--  55 

Wallace --  36 


Oities  and  Villages.  547 


CITIES  AND   VILLAGES. 

There  are  five  cities  in  La  Salle  county,  five  incorporated  villages, 
and  ten  other  considerable  towns  and  railroad  stations. 

Ottawa  was  platted  by  State  authority  and  recorded  at 
Peoria,  then  the  county  seat,  December  5,  1830.  In  1839  it  became 
a  village,  with  limited  municipal  power,  and  made  a  city  by  special 
act  of  the  Legislature  in  1853.  Wm.  Hickling  was  the  first  mayor. 
In  1876  Ottawa  polled  1,590  votes,  and  must  contain  nearly  10,000 
people.  The  population  of  Ottawa  at  the  last  census  was  about 
8,000. 

La  Salle  became  an  important  place,  in  addition  to  its  natural 
location  and  resources,  by  the  decision  of  the  trustees  of  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  Canal,  placing  the  termination  of  the  canal,  or  its 
junction  with  the  Illinois  river,  within  its  limits,  in  1836.  In  1837 
the  town  was  laid  out,  and  incorporated  a  city  in  1852.  In  1876 
La  Salle  polled  1,124  votes;  this  would  indicate  from  6,000  to  7,000 
population. 

Peru  was  first  surveyed  and  platted  by  the  school  commission- 
ers in  1834.  The  Niuawa  addition  was  platted  and  recorded  by  T. 
D.  Brewster  in  1836,  embracing  most  of  the  business  part  of  the 
town.  Peru  was  incorporated  a  city  in  March,  1851.  T.  D.  Brews- 
ter was  the  first  mayor.  Vote  polled  in  1876,  862,  and  the  popula- 
tion must  be  about  5,000. 

Mendota  was  made  an  incorporated  town  in  1851,  with  J.  H. 
Adams  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  It  was  made  a  city 
in  March,  1867.  Boyd  Lowe  was  the  first  mayor.  Vote  in  1876, 
973;  indicating  over  5,000  population. 

Earlville  was  made  an  important  commercial  point  immediately 
after  the  completion  of  the  railroad  in  1853,  a  corporation,  with 
municipal  power,  in  1863,  and  a  city  in  1877.  J.  J.  Pool  is  mayor. 
Leland  was  surveyed  and  the  town  plat .  recorded  in  1853,  and 
called  "Whitefield,  and  the  station  named  Waverly,  but  Leland 
eventually  became  the  only  name.  It  was  incorporated  a  village  in 
1859. 

Lostant  was  laid  out  in  1861,  and  incorporated  a  village  in  1867. 
New  Rutland  was  surveyed  and  the  plat  recoi'ded  in  1855. 
Seneca  was  for  a  time  called  Crotty,  from  Jeremiah  Grotty  who 
laid  out  the  town.     It  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in  1848. 


548  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

Streator  was  laid  out  in  1867,  and  incorporated  a  village  in  1874. 
It  polls  about  1,000  votes,  and  must  have  6,000  people. 

Sheridan  was  laid  out  in  1871,  just  after  the  completion  of  Fox 
River  Railroad. 

Utica  was  laid  out  in  1852,  and  has  had  several  additions,  and 
was  made  a  village  in  1867. 

Tonica  was  laid  out  by  A.  J.  West  in  1853,  and  incorporated  a 
village  several  j^ears  since. 

Garfield,  Munster,  Dana,  Dayton,  Wedron,  Serena,  and  Grand 
Ridge,  are  all  railroad  towns  doing  considerable  business,  and 
promise  well  for  the  future. 


OTTAWA  ACADEMY  OF  NATURAL  SCIENCES. 

In  February,  1866,  W.  W.  Calkins  and  Drs.  Paul  and  Gibbs  met 
in  Dr.  Paul's  office,  and  consulted  as  to  the  propriety  of  organizing 
a  geological  society.  Dr.  L.  N.  Dimmick  and  J.  "W.  Calkins  came  to 
their  aid,  and  by  a  united  effort  secured  the  following  named  per- 
sons as  members  : 

W.  W.  Calkins,  Dr.  John  Paul,  Dr.  A.  E.  Gibbs,  Dr.  L.  N.  Dim. 
mick,  Jas.  W.  Calkins,  Col.  D.  F.  Hitt,  D.  S.  Ebersol,  Dr.  C.  Hard, 
Dr.  R.  M.  McArthur,  L.  E.  Gibbs.  David  Walker,  W.  Bushnell,  Rev. 
C.  H.  Force,  W.  H.  Cushman,  .John  B.  Rice,  F.  F.  Brower,  Thomas 
Orton,  Col.  Ralph  Plumb,  M.  Kirkpatrick,  Geo.  Campbell,  Geo.  S. 
Stebbins  and  J.  D.  Caton.  In  March,  1866,  they  perfected  an  organi- 
zation by  electing  David  Walker,  President;  L.E.  Gibbs,  Vice-Presi- 
dent ;  Dr.  C.  Hard,  Second  Vice-President  ;  W.  W.  Calkins,  Sec- 
retary. In  1867,  Dr.  John  Paul  was  elected  President;  Col.  D.  F. 
Hitt,  Vice-President.    In  1869,  W.  W.  Calkins  was  made  President. 

Lectures  have  been  given  by  J.  D.  Caton  on  tbe  American  Deer, 
and  Origin  of  the  Prairies  ;  the  Fresh  Water  Shell  of  La  Salle,  by 
W.  W.  Calkins  ;  Prof.  John  W.  Cook,  of  England  ;  Prof.  W.  Gun- 
ning, of  Cambridge  ;  Judge  Gilman,  and  others.  In  1872,  the 
Society  suffered  a  severe  loss  in  the  death  of  Dr.  John  Paul,  a  most 
energetic  and  valuable  worker  for  the  Academy.  D.  S.  Ebersol  was 
elected  President  in  1873,  and  still  occupies  that  position. 


Ottawa  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.      549 

The  Academy  has  a  large  and  valuable  collection  of  specimens  in 
the  several  departments  of  natural  science,  mostly  donations  from 
its  members  and  others.  Exchanges  and  donations  are  solicited.  The 
museum  is  open  to  the  public,  and  most  valuable  results  will  spring 
from  this  effort  of  the  energetic  and  able  men  who  have  it  in  charge. 
A  taste  for  natural  science  has  been  fostered  by  this  institution,  and 
the  subject  has  received  more  attention  in  La  Salle  County,  and 
there  are  more  private  cabinets  probably  than  in  any  other  section 
of  the  country. 


550  History  of  La  Salle  County. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  present  status  of  La  Salle  County,  its  popu- 
lation, wealth,  manufacturing  industry,  productions, 
educational  institutions,  church  organizations,  be- 
nevolent and  other  associations,  presents  a  future, 
of  which  much  older  communities  might  well  be 
proud.  Only  about  fifty  years  have  passed  since  it 
was  first  occupied  by  American  citizens — and  twenty 
years  of  that  was  consumed  in  the  first  hard  expo- 
sure of  pioneer  life,  under  the  old  regimen,  where 
the  modern  railroad  and  telegraph  were  unknown  ; 
or  in  battling  with,  financial  embarrassments,  which, 
for  intensity,  have  no  parallel  in  our  country' s  his- 
tory. Those  who  remember  then — and  now — and 
can  from  memory  contrast  the  comfort,  intelligence, 
educational  facilities,  churches,  protection  of  law, 
recreations,  and  social  enjoyments  of  to-day,  with 
the  seclusion,  hardship,  sickness,  dangers  from  the 
climate  and  frontier  bandits,  and  the  discomforts  of 
poverty  then,  can  but  be  amazed  at  the  success  of 
their  own  efforts.  Taking  both  town  and  country, 
the  change  has  been  more  radical  and  complete 
than  in  any  country,  not  a  prairie  region. 

Within  that  time,  the  Indian,  yielding  to  his  des- 
tiny, has  followed  the  buffalo,  which  left  years 
before.  The  deer  have  followed  the  Indian.  Even 
the  birds  have  changed.  The  wild  bittern,  the  cur- 
lew, plover  and  grouse,  which  made  the  prairie 
vocal  with  their  harsh  notes,  have  nearly  all  left ; 
and  the  singing  birds,  which  frequent  an  older 
settled  country,  have  taken  their  place,  and  cheer 
us  with   the  sweet  songs  we  loved  so  well  in  the 


Conclusion.  651 


days  of  our  youth,  far  away  among  the  hills  of  the 
East,  and  South.  The  prairie  grass,  and  wild  yet 
beautiful  flowers,  have  been  succeeded  by  cultivated 
farms,  waving  fields  of  grain  and  grass ;  orchards, 
yearly  laden  with  luscious  fruit,  have  sprung  up  on 
every  farm,  rivaling  or  excelling  those  the  emigrant 
left  in  the  land  of  his  birth.  Belts  and  groves  of 
timber,  break  and  temper  the  prairie  wind,  and  give 
variety  and  beauty  to  the  landscape.  Herds  and 
flocks  fatten  where  the  Indian  pursued  his  game,  and 
the  scream  of  the  eagle,  the  whoop  of  the  crane, 
and  croak  of  the  raven,  have  ceased,  and  the  crow- 
ing and  gabble  of  the  poultry  yard  have  taken  their 
place.  The  bloom  of  the  yellow  wild  flowers  of 
August,  are  no  longer  dreaded  as  the  harbinger  of 
the  annual  return  of  prostrating  and  painful  ague, 
and  other  sickness.  The  sallow  and  bilious  cheeks 
of  the  early  settlers  are  now  represented  by  fresher, 
blooming  countenances,  and  rosy  health.  Com- 
fortable, and  even  luxurious  dwellings,  scattered 
over  all  the  prairie,  replace  the  humble  cabin  that 
nestled  in  the  edge  of  the  groves.  Capacious  barns, 
tilled  with  the  rich  products  of  an  exhaustless  soil, 
stand  for  the  log  stable,  rail  crib,  and  stack  yard, 
that  held  the  hard-earned  wealth  of  the  pioneer. 
The  traveler  meets  at  a  corner  of  every  section,  a 
neat  and  commodious  school-house,  where  all  the 
youth  can  drink  at  the  fountain  of  knowledge 
without  money  or  price  ;  and  over  the  entire  county 
he  can  scarcely  get  beyond  the  view  of  the  church 
spire,  where  forty  years  ago  he  might  have  lost  him- 
self on  the  trackless  x^rairie,    with  no  building   or 


552  History  of  La  Salle  County. 


landmark  to  guide  him  on  his  way.  Where  the  toil  of 
the  early  settlers  barely  supplied  food  for  the  incom- 
ing immigrants,  or  the  ox  wagon  wended  its  slow 
and  weary  way  over  the  lonely  prairie,  to  a  market 
a  hundred  miles  away,  with  the  surplus  products 
of  the  county,  the  long  railroad  trains  follow  each 
other  in  rapid  succession,  freighted  with  the  annual 
product  of  the  labor  of  seventy  thousand  i^eople ! 
more  than  doubled  by  the  improved  farm  imple- 
ments, which  our  clean  soil  and  level  surface  has 
called  into  existence.  Millions  of  bushels  of  grain, 
and  thousands  of  fattened  swine  and  cattle,  yearly 
seek  the  Eastern  or  Southern  markets,  where,  forty 
years  since,  the  East  and  the  South  sent  food  to  our 
people.  The  contrast  is  startling,  and  most  grati- 
fying to  those  who  have  lived  to  see  it,  and  they  can 
only  wish  that  those  of  the  pioneers  who  have 
passed  away,  and  like  the  great  leader  of  Israel 
were  not  permitted  to  see  the  full  fruition  of  their 
hopes,  might  have  been  spared  to  rejoice  in  the  rich 
result  of  their  toil. 

If  in  less  than  half  a  century,  under  all  the  dis- 
advantages that  have  attended  the  opening  of  a 
new  country,  all  of  these  results  have  been  pro- 
duced, what  may  be  anticipated  in  the  future? 
What  will  La  Salle  County  be,  fifty  or  a  hundred 
years  hence,  or  in  the  more  distant  future  ?  How 
many  intelligent,  virtuous  and  patriotic  peoj^le 
will  live  for  a  high  and  noble  destiny  within  her 
borders  ?  Those  who  have  made  the  county  what  it 
is,  will  soon  have  passed  away ;  they  leave  a  rich 
inheritance  to  those  who  will  follow,  and  it  remains 
for  posterity  to  solve  the  problem  of  the  future. 


\ 


i 


